Valerie Harper puts on a brave face as she steps out for the first time since revealing she has terminal brain cancer

Valerie Harper on Wednesday revealed the tragic news that she has terminal brain cancer and as little as three months to live.
But the courageous actress has taken an admirable approach to her diagnosis and appears to be determined to make her last moments count.
The 73-year-old was seen going for a walk in Santa Monica on Thursday morning and putting on a brave face.

Brave front: Valerie Harper was seen stepping out in Santa Monica on Thursday with husband Tony Cacciotti by her side

The Mary Tyler Moore star was joined by her husband of 26 years Tony Cacciotti, who kept close to his wife.
Valerie has not been shy of speaking about her illness and the brave star revealed that she ignored signs something was terribly wrong less than six months before she was diagnosed with brain cancer.
Then, when she became violently ill while driving with no warning, even doctors could not figure it out.
It was only when she suffered from what she thought was a stroke, did doctors deliver the tragic news on January 15.
The television icon - best known for her role as brash New Yorker Rhoda Morgenstern - calls this her 'transformative moment' and admits it 'hit me like a sledgehammer'.

Tragic news: The Mary Tyler Moore star, seen left in a still from the show Rhoda, revealed on Wednesday that she has been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer and has as little as three months to live

The cast of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, from left to right: Gavin MacLeod, Cloris Leachman, Mary Tyler Moore, Valerie Harper, and Ted Knight. At top, is Ed Asner

'In August I felt this funny little band moving from my back to my waist,' she told People magazine. She ignored it.
Then in December she was driving in Santa Monica when she became suddenly violently ill.
'My windshield was obliterated with vomit and I hadn't felt sick. Later I found out that is a benchmark for a seizure.'
But even after visiting several doctors who conducted a host of different tests, the results were inconclusive.
Then on January 11, the 73-year-old was rehearsing for her Off Broadway show Looped when the right side of her jaw suddenly became numb. Her husband Tony took her to the hospital thinking she was having a stroke.
Doctors ran more tests and four days later they delivered the news - they had detected cancer cells in her spinal fluid, ultimately leading to the terminal diagnosis.
'I held it in but I broke down later,' she admitted to People.