E! Host Steps Down After Surgery To Remove ‘Golf Ball-Sized’ Brain Tumour

American E! News co-anchor, Maria Menounos, has left the network to receive emergency surgery after being diagnosed with a ‘golf ball-sized’ brain tumour. 

Menounos, 39, announced her departure on the show Monday (US time), after three years with the network. She’s also an author, actress and occasional professional wrestler with WWE

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She initially revealed her diagnosis this week in People mag, explaining that she started suffering from a variety of symptoms in February prior to her diagnosis.
“I’d been getting lightheaded on set and having headaches,” she told People.
“My speech had gotten slurred and I was having difficulty reading the teleprompter.”
After undergoing an MRI it was discovered Menounos had a golf-ball-sized meningioma brain tumour pushing against her facial nerves. In June, she underwent a mammoth seven-hour surgery to remove the benign tumour.
She’s now recovering at home with her mother, who, in a cruel twist of fate, is battling stage 4 brain cancer.
“It’s so surreal and crazy and unbelievable that my mom has a brain tumour and now I have one too?” she said.

First I wanna say thank you all for the well wishes, prayers and support. It’s been a crazy time here in our home. I want you all to know that I’m ok! Seriously I’m recovering well and should be as good as new very very soon! Luckily I don’t need any further treatments but I can’t say the same about my mom. So please keep her in your prayers. I also want to thank @people for allowing me to share my story. @juliejordanc & @mrjesscagle THANK YOU’ Next-I need to thank everyone at @cedarssinai everyone there has been amazing. Most people want to rush out of the hospital to get home I kept saying I’ve never been treated kinder. I cried like a baby saying goodbye to the amazing nurses who took such good care of me. God bless nurses! I of course need to thank dr black and dr Chu for performing an amazing surgery and giving me the best bday gift ever-my health. And lastly, god has blessed me in so many ways but this too was a blessing. I got to hear what I have meant to my friends and family-it’s been quite moving for me. I want thank all of my incredible friends, family and even strangers who have shown me and my family such kindness. @alyssawallerce Thank you for being with me every step of the way. I couldn’t have done it without you. @iamjoegear You too! And to @undergaro the best nurse in the world..you never left the hospital and slept by my side there. you are my everything and I’m so thankful to you. You and dad have really been incredible to mom and me. You both have inspired me. I’ve never been more excited about life. I see so much so clearly. Will share more with all of you soon! Xo

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“I don’t have my balance fully yet but as long as I’m holding on to [my fiance], I’m sturdy and fine,” Menounos told People
“My face is still numb. This is something that takes at least a month of healing, but I’m getting stronger and stronger every day and I’ll be back to normal very soon. I am going to take some time and focus on some passion projects and see what’s next. I’ve always been so proud of being a hard worker, but there’s so much more out there,” she continued.

“I just want to be still for a bit and see what I’m supposed to be in this world. For me, sharing this story is important on so many levels. I hate secrets. I also want to help women realize [sic] that they have to put themselves first. I wouldn’t have ever known or imagined that this was going on if I hadn’t seen the symptoms in my mom. I want to encourage people to find some stillness in their life so they can listen to their bodies — and hear what’s going on.”
We wish Menounos all the best with her recovery.
Photo: Jason LaVeris / Getty.

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