TLC member Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins reveals that she has been battling a brain tumor since 2006.

In the Oct. 12 edition of People magazine, the 39-year-old said that she underwent a seven-hour surgical procedure back in 2006 during which doctors peeled the tumor from her brain stem by making a cut behind her ear.

The divorced single mother of one said she was battling the tumor earlier this year during filming of NBC’s “Celebrity Apprentice” but didn’t want to make it known to the public.

She also suffers from the blood disorder sickle cell anemia. My first response is usually a feeling of mercy when I meet those who suffer from this blood disorder, and that’s the very reason that she kept her tumor hidden from the public.

T-Boz kept the condition a secret and did not want the public to know about her brain condition because she did not want anyone’s pity.

She said people are “shocked” when she tells them the news, but added “I won’t let you feel sorry for me.”

ORIGINALLY POSTED: OCTOBER 5, 2009