{
  "id": 3630637,
  "title": "Busy Philipps reveals brain tumour diagnosis: ‘I’m grateful to be alive’",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/27/busy-philipps-reveals-brain-tumour-diagnosis-im-grateful-to-be-alive",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-08-27T01:09:43.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Guardian Health",
    "slug": "guardian-health",
    "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/aug/27/busy-philipps-reveals-brain-tumour-diagnosis-im-grateful-to-be-alive"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Actress Busy Philipps revealed she had undergone brain tumor removal surgery. The 47-year-old, born Elizabeth Philipps, was diagnosed with a grade 2 oligodendroglioma, a rare low-grade tumor, shortly after her Dawson's Creek co-star James Van Der Beek, who died of bowel cancer in February at age 48.\n\nPhilipps described the six months leading up to her diagnosis as the \"weirdest six months of my life.\" Despite showing no obvious symptoms like seizures, she decided to have a full-body MRI screening, which led to the tumor's discovery. In March, she underwent a five-hour surgery to remove a 2.6cm mass from her brain.\n\nPhilipps felt reassured by her doctors, who told her that the scan was unnecessary, but she still chose to have it. She explained that she assumed certain behaviors were due to perimenopause, even though her brain felt \"broken.\" Her doctor couldn't confirm if the symptoms were related to the tumor or not.\n\nShe considered canceling the scan, as it coincided with Van Der Beek's death and an audition for a role in the legal drama Cupertino. However, her ex-husband, film-maker Marc Silverstein, encouraged her to get the scan. After the surgery, Philipps said she was not in pain and recovered quickly. Friends and family, including co-star Michelle Williams, wished her a speedy recovery, providing her with delicious food during her hospital stay.\n\nDespite contracting a staphylococcus infection in her incision shortly after filming began, Philipps felt grateful that everything had been caught early. She expressed gratitude for her luck, saying, \"What am I? The luckiest girl in the world?\"",
  "summary": "Actor says she had the ‘weirdest six months of my life’, after being diagnosed days after her Dawson’s Creek co-star James Van Der Beek died of cancer Busy Philipps has revealed she had a brain tumour removed, which was diagnosed shortly after her Dawson’s Creek co-star James Van Der Beek died from bowel cancer. The 47-year-old, born Elizabeth Philipps, starred in the hit US teen drama as Audrey…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 7,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Deadline",
        "title": "Busy Philipps Shares Health Update After Brain Tumor Diagnosis: “I’m Grateful That I’m Alive”",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/busy-philipps-shares-health-update-after-brain-tumor-diagnosis-im",
        "published": "2026-08-26T16:11:07.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Variety",
        "title": "Busy Philipps Reveals She Had Brain Tumor Removed: ‘Grateful That I’m Alive’",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/busy-philipps-reveals-she-had-brain-tumor-removed-grateful-that-im",
        "published": "2026-08-26T17:22:38.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Hollywood Reporter",
        "title": "Busy Philipps Reveals She Had a Rare Brain Tumor Removed, Underwent Two Surgeries: “I’m Grateful That I’m Alive”",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/busy-philipps-reveals-she-had-a-rare-brain-tumor-removed-underwent",
        "published": "2026-08-26T18:43:09.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "TheWrap",
        "title": "Busy Philipps ‘Grateful’ to Be Alive After 6-Month Battle With Brain Tumor",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/busy-philipps-grateful-to-be-alive-after-6-month-battle-with-brain",
        "published": "2026-08-26T19:09:47.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The A.V. Club",
        "title": "Busy Philipps shares she had a brain tumor removed in March",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/busy-philipps-shares-she-had-a-brain-tumor-removed-in-march",
        "published": "2026-08-26T19:46:19.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Toronto Sun",
        "title": "Busy Philipps reveals rare brain tumour diagnosis: ‘Grateful I’m alive’",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/busy-philipps-reveals-rare-brain-tumour-diagnosis-grateful-im-alive",
        "published": "2026-08-26T19:54:20.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}