I knew Maria Menounos was an Extra host, and I think if pressed I could have told you she was a contestant on Dancing With the Stars. I had no idea, however, that she occasionally appears as a professional wrestler for the WWE, or that she likes to be choked while having an orgasm. Oh, the things you learn on the Howard Stern show!

While Stern is well-known for his salacious interview style, amidst the talk of whether or not Menounos hooked up with her DWTS partner Derek Hough (she swears she didn't, Stern didn't believe her), she actually ended up discussing a pretty serious subject. Apparently Menounos has a phobia of doctors, and with good reason: according to her, she's been molested during medical examinations. On multiple occasions.

Menounos told Stern that her first unpleasant medical encounter happened when she visited a doctor for a throat issue. She says he first asked her to change into a hospital gown, and then proceeded to touch her genitals.

I was really young, so I was so uncomfortable ... [My boyfriend] Kevin was in the waiting room and I literally started screaming ... I was just so uncomfortable I didn’t know what to do.

Wow, that's super creepy. Sounds like the type of doctor whose next move might involve attempting to get a throat culture by unconventional means, if you know what I mean.

More from The Stir: Did Maria Menounos' Beauty Cast Doubt on Her Story of Abuse?

Oddly enough, this wasn't Menounos's only incident of doctor molestation. She went on to say she's endured other examinations during which physicians, including male gynecologists, complimented her navel piercing while touching it.

She now brings her boyfriend into the room with her, especially for gynecological exams, but says she's never pressed charges or taken official steps to report a doctor.

I'm torn on how to feel about this confession. On the one hand, I think Menounos is brave for talking about something so personal, and maybe the fact that she publicly said that inappropriate touching during an exam is not okay will help some other woman stop a doctor's unethical behavior.

But on the other hand, it's kind of weird that she never reported an incident, and that the doctor(s) who molested her are presumably still practicing and maybe abusing other patients. I mean, it's not like she has a responsibility to be the poster girl for patient abuse, but I think she missed an opportunity to at least talk about what someone's options are in that situation.

Of course, this is the Howard Stern show, not Oprah. I suppose the intended takeaway is that Maria Menounos is so smokin' hot, she can't even go to the doctor without getting felt up. Frankly, it doesn't seem like the most empowering message to me, but maybe if it ever happens again, she'll put those WWE skills to good use.

What do you think about Maria Menounos's candid talk about doctor abuse?


Image via Flickr/simononly