Hollywood star Angelina Jolie has revealed she has had a preventive double mastectomy.
The actress said she took the decision to have the procedure when doctors told her she had a faulty gene, which meant she had an 87% risk of developing breast cancer and a 50% risk of developing ovarian cancer.
The 37-year-old also paid tribute to her partner Brad Pitt, for being so “loving and supportive” during her surgeries and recovery.
Writing in The New York Times, the Tomb Raider actress said she finished the three months of medical procedures on April 27, and added: “During that time I have been able to keep this private and to carry on with my work.”
Paying tribute to Pitt, Jolie said: “I am fortunate to have a partner, Brad Pitt, who is so loving and supportive.
“So to anyone who has a wife or girlfriend going through this, know that you are a very important part of the transition.
“Brad was at the Pink Lotus Breast Centre, where I was treated, for every minute of the surgeries.
“We managed to find moments to laugh together. We knew this was the right thing to do for our family and that it would bring us closer. And it has.”
The star said she was writing about the ordeal, in an article titled My Medical Choice, in the hope that other women can benefit from her experience.
Jolie, whose mother died from cancer at 56, said waking up from the operation can feel “like a scene out of a science-fiction film” .
She said the decision to have the mastectomy was not easy but that she was happy to have gone ahead with it.
Urging women to get checked out, the star said: “For any woman reading this, I hope it helps you to know you have options.
“I want to encourage every woman, especially if you have a family history of breast or ovarian cancer, to seek out the information and medical experts who can help you through this aspect of your life, and to make your own informed choices.”
In her article, Jolie wrote she carries the “faulty” gene BRCA1, which sharply increases her risk of developing breast cancer and ovarian cancer.
Michelle Heaton hailed Jolie’s decision to publicise her double mastectomy as “incredibly important” in giving support and encouragement to other women in a similar situation.
The Liberty X singer underwent a double mastectomy last year.
“I can’t even stress how much of an impact I had, saying that I was going through this, on women – especially through Twitter and people writing to me.
“It was such a huge impact and I know that I have had hundreds of women who have gone for this test and subsequently found that they had the BRCA gene and they can then make an informed decision,” she told ITV’s Daybreak.
“Imagine what impact somebody as huge as Angelina Jolie can have on this.
“I really do think that the BRCA gene has only really come to light over the last year or two.
“It is a massive thing that women need to learn about and know that, if this runs in your family, you need to go and get tested because there are huge options and the options available are incredibly amazing – it shouldn’t be too scary for you if you have the right information.”
