Maria Menounos hid cancer diagnosis while speaking with baby’s surrogate

Maria Menounos has revealed that while battling pancreatic cancer as she awaited the arrival of her first baby via surrogate, she even kept the information from the gestational carrier.

The 44-year-old shared the news with ‘Access Hollywood’ earlier this week, stating that the surrogate only found out about the diagnosis and recovery shortly before everyone else did.

Menounos, who revealed her secret battle with pancreatic cancer with People earlier this month after receiving a clean bill of health, only told the surrogate two days before the news went public.

“She’s carrying my baby,” said Menounos. “I wasn’t gonna let her worry whether I was gonna be there or not.”

Menounos, who has also been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and underwent surgery for a brain tumor back in 2017, called her recent health scare a “cruel joke”.

“How much more can I take?” she said. “I was like, ‘How could you finally bless me with a baby and now I’m not gonna get to meet her? How is this possible?’”

Menounos and her fertility struggles

News of Menounos’ health scare came three months after her and husband Keven Undergaro told the world they were expecting a baby girl after years of fertility struggles.

She explained that they even found a surrogate just days before the COVID-19 pandemic, only for those plans to fall through.

“We regrouped by summer when things kind of started to calm down,” said Menounos “But her lining wouldn’t grow to that final stage so we couldn’t implant or we would lose [the embryos]. It was really, really rough.”

However the couple, who have been married since December 2017 after dating for 20 years, have since found a second surrogate.

“We are so grateful to the beautiful family helping us conceive our baby,” Menounos told People back in February.

“Keven, my dad [Constantinos Menounos] and I are all beyond excited for this soul to come into our lives. What a blessing.”