Kate Walsh has opened up about a health scare she faced years ago. Credit: Bruce Glikas / Getty

The 57-year-old actress, best known for her role as Dr. Addison Montgomery in the ABC medical drama series, appeared on The Kelly Clarkson Show to reflect on her terrifying medical scare.

Walsh shared that her 2015 diagnosis of a benign brain tumor completely changed her approach to health.

“Thankfully, it turned out to be benign, so I was very, very fortunate,” she told the host.

“It was like, ‘Hey, I’m really tired’ And then it’s like, ‘Oh, the right side of my body is dipping,’” she recalled.

Initially, those around her dismissed her concerns and attributed her symptoms to stress or exhaustion. Even when she felt unsteady while walking her dog, she brushed it off, thinking, “It must be a little bit of a windy street”.

At one point, the star even considered if her focus issues and forgetfulness were related to attention deficit disorder (ADD) or too much time scrolling on her phone, but deep down, she knew something wasn’t right.

Reflecting on those moments, the Private Practice star emphasized the importance of advocating for one’s health – a lesson she now encourages others to embrace.

“People were like, ‘You’re just depressed. Your show got canceled. You’re just depressed.’ It was right after [my TV show] ‘Bad Judge’ got canceled,” she recounted. “I’m like, ‘No, something’s off.’”

Walsh is urging people to advocate for their health. Credit: Luis Alvarez / Getty

Walsh first revealed her brain tumor diagnosis in a 2017 interview with Cosmopolitan, where she shared that the tumor was the size of a small lemon. At first, she thought her symptoms were due to menopause since they had similar markers.

“I really pushed to see a neurologist. I just had an instinct. I had to really advocate because they don’t hand out MRIs so easily. But I got an MRI and, thank God I did, because it turned out I had a very sizable brain tumor in my left frontal lobe,” she said.

Walsh was left in shock after doctors confirmed the diagnosis. “I just left my body. My assistant had driven me there, and I had to go get him so that he could take notes because I was gone. It was never anything I would have imagined,” she said.

Just three days later, she underwent emergency surgery to remove the tumor, which was diagnosed as a benign meningioma – the most common type of noncancerous brain tumor, according to the Mayo Clinic.

While appearing on The Kelly Clarkson Show, Walsh also spoke about her family’s history with cancer. She revealed that her father passed away from lung cancer while her mother was a breast cancer survivor.

Now, she’s urging people to prioritize early detection and to push for medical attention when something doesn’t feel right.

“It’s a hard thing when you have everybody looking at you going, ‘Hmm, I think you’re just this or that. You’re tired,’” she added.