Kate Walsh has become obsessed with protein shakes since her brain tumour

Speaking on America's morning chat show 'Today' on Tuesday (17.04.18), she said: "In 2015, I was diagnosed with - thank God - a benign meningioma brain tumour, which was successfully removed and I recovered from.

"And since then I have definitely changed my lifestyle and my health goals. Protein shakes became, post-brain surgery, a huge, huge part of my diet, making sure that I get enough protein."

The 50-year-old actress couldn't believe it when doctors told her she had a brain tumour as she had put her symptoms - including mind fog, speech difficulties and extreme tiredness - down to her busy schedule as she had been working "80 hours."

She said a few months back: "I had been working insane hours, maybe 80 hours a week, and also working out really hard, so I wasn't surprised. I figured, OK , I'll change up my workout routine, I'll go back to mellow stuff like hiking.

"It felt like aphasia, but it wasn't just not being able to find words; I would lose my train of thought, I wasn't able to finish sentences, and that was when I got really alarmed. The words 'brain tumour' were never in my zeitgeist.

"I went in for the MRI, and you know it's serious when they don't even wait, they're like 'hey, the radiologist wants to see you.' And she starts to say, 'Well, it looks like you have a very sizeable brain tumour' -- and I just left my body.

"My assistant had driven me there, and I had to go get her so that she could take notes, because I was gone. It was never anything I would have imagined."

Kate went into surgery three days later to have the mass removed and can't praise the doctors enough for the support they gave her while she was going through it all.

She said: "I love to work hard and do 800 things at once, and this was a really amazing lesson in just submitting to the process of healing.

"I did exactly what the doctors told me to do, and asked tons of questions when I had them, and got lots of support, and just took my time."