Maria Menounos was once known as a sparkling television host at E!, but then tragedy struck. Twice. The stylish Greek-American media personality found herself smack dab in the middle of a situation that seemed more like a storyline from Grey’s Anatomy than real life: both she and her mother were diagnosed with brain tumors.
Fans will be relieved to know that the two women have made miraculous recoveries from their respective medical treatment plans, even if Menounos had to take a step away from the entertainment news world as a result of her ailment.
Now, some folks are wondering what Maria’s life looks like. Has the television presenter made any changes to her lifestyle? How is she doing now? And what are these rumors about becoming a farmer? We have taken some time to break down exactly how Menounos has coped with the changes in her health and paint a picture of what her priorities look like in 2020.
‘I Was Stuck In My Own Tornado’
In 2017 when Menounos went to the hospital with symptoms of headaches and slurred speech, she was not taking care of herself. The host admitted to Brain And Life that she originally ignored her doctor’s insistence that she needed an MRI. “I decided that I’d clearly been out of my mind, and I had my assistant postpone my MRI (until 4 months after the initial appointment),” Menounos confessed.
Her reasoning? Menounos just didn’t think she had time for herself.
As the television personality told Christine Montanti, she was busy taking care of her parents, both of whom were struggling through major health issues: “My situation is compounded by the fact my mother has a brain tumor of her own...I was taking care of her. My father is a diabetic, and I was also responsible for being in charge of all of his medical supplies, and it got to be too much.”
Once Menounos received her own diagnosis, however, she realized that her lifestyle needed to change. She reportedly made other arrangements for her parents’ caregiving and began to focus on herself.
Finding Farm-Grown Peace
Menounos survived her surgery, but life afterwards took a dramatic turn away from everything she had built beforehand. For one thing, she quit her stressful job at E! and started her own health and wellness podcast Better Together With Maria. But another major change was taking a step back from fast-paced LA living and moving to a relaxing farm in Connecticut.
The transition to farm living has not always been easy for Menounos. On one specific occasion, the Cali girl found an outdoor critter in her home and had to make the effort to remove it. “Soooo farm life continues...found a snake in my basement,” she tweeted. Yikes!
However, Menounos seems to believe that a rural lifestyle is helping her heal, both physically and emotionally. “Farm life is agreeing with me,” she told her Instagram followers. “I’m recharging like never before.”
According to Menounos, just the simple act of being outside has been helping her examine her life with a fresh perspective. “Nature always brings me clarity,” she said. Especially, it seems, when it comes to personal reflection. “I’m finding myself again!”
The podcaster is so enthusiastic about her breakthroughs that she has gone on record saying that farm living is the perfect change of pace for those who are suffering from paying too much attention to others—and not enough to themselves. “If you’re filled with anxiety, been a caretaker for a short time or long, been on a tough journey or just lost- join me.”
A Day In The Life Of A Farm Girl
For Menounos, one of the most significant parts of her transformation has to do with what it means to have fun. In LA, the former television personality was famous for living in an elaborate house. In a 2018 home tour posted to Menounos’ YouTube channel, she reveals that her mansion in California contains a fully-stocked bar where she once “cranked up...music” and enjoyed entertaining.
Now that she lives on a farm, it is fair to say that the podcaster has discovered other activities to enjoy. What is one of her new favorite pastimes? According to Menounos’ Instagram account, it’s sunflower picking.
The media personality has also recently enjoyed natural hikes, pumpkin patch visits and long drives where she can spot fall leaves.
Menounos may not be living the glittery life of fame, but on the farm she seems to have found a sense of peace.