Grey’s Anatomy star Kate Walsh opens up on shock diagnosis

An actress known for her role on the hit show Grey’s Anatomy has revealed the “very subtle” signs that preceded a shocking medical diagnosis.

An actress known for her role on the hit show Grey’s Anatomy has revealed the subtle warning signs that preceded a shocking diagnosis.

Kate Walsh, 57, opened up on the The Kelly Clarkson Show about what it was like to be diagnosed with a noncancerous brain tumour.

During Covid, the Hollywood star had swapped the bright lights of tinsel town for a “quiet” lifestyle in Perth, Western Australia. She had originally become “stuck” in Perth due to the pandemic, however she ended up deciding to relocate after falling in love with Australian farmer Andrew Nixon, who she’s now engaged to.

Prior to her big move to Perth, Walsh, who has also appeared in Private Practice, Emily in Paris and The Umbrella Academy, said she began experiencing some “very subtle” symptoms including fatigue.

The tumour was diagnosed in 2015.

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

She initially brushed off the symptoms because others weren’t concerned.

Kate Walsh appeared on the hit TV show Grey’s Anatomy. Picture: Supplied

“They’re like, ‘Oh, you’re off.’ I’m like, ‘No,’” she said. “And then, walking the dog, I’m like, ‘It must be a little bit of a windy street.’

“It was just sort of very subtle and then very kind of, ‘Oh, it’s ADD. I can’t really focus. Oh, I’ve been scrolling too much.’ That kind of stuff.”

Kate Walsh seen with fiance Andrew Nixon.

Walsh moved from Hollywood to Perth. Picture: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

However, Walsh couldn’t shake off her concern about the symptoms and sought medical attention.

“I know how important it is to advocate for one’s own health because people were like, ‘You’re just depressed.’ It was right after [my TV show] Bad Judge got cancelled,” she said.

People would tell her, “Your show got cancelled. You’re just depressed.” However, she said, “I’m like, ‘No, something’s off.’”

Kate Walsh on The Kelly Clarkson Show. Picture: Supplied

Walsh told Cosmopolitan in 2017 – when she first spoke about the tumour – that she was stunned after receiving her diagnosis.

“I just left my body,” she reflected. “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 had initially put her symptoms down to menopause, however it turned out that her tumour was the size of a lemon.

Walsh has been a red carpet regular for years.

Walsh on Grey’s Anatomy.

“I really pushed to see a neurologist. I just had an instinct,” she said. “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 sizeable brain tumour in my left frontal lobe.”

Walsh had surgery to remove the growth three days later, and it was later determined to be a benign meningioma – the most common type of primary brain tumour. They account for approximately 30 per cent of all brain tumours.

“Thankfully, it turned out to be benign, so I was very, very fortunate,” Walsh said.

Walsh in The Umbrella Academy. Picture: Netflix

Walsh on Grey’s Anatomy. Picture: Supplied

Walsh also revealed on The Kelly Clarkson Show that both her parents have had cancer, with her father dying from lung cancer complications.

In 2023, Walsh opened up to news.com.au about her very different lifestyle in WA.

“I really love Western Australia … I think nature here eclipses everything. It drives me,” she said.

“I like the slowness. It’s really good for me. And then you go back overseas and you’re like, ‘Oh my God. People are insane.’

“I feel very fortunate I can pop back to LA, go to work, and then come back here and live my best life.”

Walsh said her workaholic mindset changed after discovering she had a brain tumour. So she moved from LA to New York (where she still has an apartment she sublets) and made more time for family, friends and travel.

“I think a lot of people can relate, whether it’s some big event or a health crisis, or a marriage ending, or a loss of a loved one, you’re like, ‘OK, I’m still here. Part two,’” she said.

“And for me, that was … I needed my life to be a lot more balanced.

“And then, I fell in love with an Aussie, and here I am. And I love it. I’m very grateful.”