Angelina Jolie today revealed that she was forced to make the agonizing decision to have a preventative double mastectomy, after tests showed she had an 87 per cent chance of contracting cancer.
The actress opened up about her traumatic experience in the New York Times, saying that she made the decision to undergo the procedure in February after learning that she is a carrier of the deadly BRCA1 cancer gene.
The 37-year-old's mother Marcheline Bertrand died at the age of 56 from ovarian cancer, which Angelina revealed she had a high chance of contracting.
But the Hollywood star has not let the life-changing operation interfere with public engagements - she visited the Republic of Congo on March 26 on humanitarian duties and attended the G8 summit in London on April 11 with William Hague, after her initial operations but before the all the procedures had finished.
Writing in an editorial piece entitled 'My Medical Choice' in the New York Times, Angelina explained her decision, revealing that she had the initial procedure on February 16th before having the reconstruction operation on April 20th.
She wrote: 'My doctors estimated that I had an 87 per cent risk of breast cancer and a 50 per cent risk of ovarian cancer, although the risk is different in the case of each woman.
'Only a fraction of breast cancers result from an inherited gene mutation. Those with a defect in BRCA1 have a 65 per cent risk of getting it, on average.
'Once I knew that this was my reality, I decided to be proactive and to minimize the risk as much I could. I made a decision to have a preventive double mastectomy.
'I started with the breasts, as my risk of breast cancer is higher than my risk of ovarian cancer, and the surgery is more complex.
'On April 27, I finished the three months of medical procedures that the mastectomies involved. During that time I have been able to keep this private and to carry on with my work.'
The star's surgery was successful and doctors say Angelina's chances of developing breast cancer have now lowered to less than 5 per cent.
'I wanted to write this to tell other women that the decision to have a mastectomy was not easy,' she wrote. 'But it is one I am very happy that I made.
'My chances of developing breast cancer have dropped from 87 per cent to under 5 per cent. I can tell my children that they don’t need to fear they will lose me to breast cancer.'
'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 Center, 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.'
Angelina assured that having the double mastectomy hasn't changed the way she feels about herself and her womanliness, and added that results of reconstructive surgery 'can be beautiful'.
'On a personal note, I do not feel any less of a woman,' she said. 'I feel empowered that I made a strong choice that in no way diminishes my femininity.'
In addition, the brave star hopes that she can encourage other women to be informed and consider their options.
'I am writing about it now because I hope that other women can benefit from my experience. Cancer is still a word that strikes fear into people’s hearts, producing a deep sense of powerlessness.
'But today it is possible to find out through a blood test whether you are highly susceptible to breast and ovarian cancer, and then take action.'
Angelina added: '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.
'I choose not to keep my story private because there are many women who do not know that they might be living under the shadow of cancer. It is my hope that they, too, will be will able to get gene tested, and that if they have a high risk they, too, will know that they have strong options.
'Life comes with many challenges. The ones that should not scare us are the ones we can take on and take control of.'
Foreign Secretary William Hague, who in March visited refugee camps in the Democratic Republic of Congo with Jolie as part of a campaign to highlight the problem of mass rape in conflict areas, said she was 'a brave lady' who would be 'an inspiration to many'.
Mr Hague told Sky News: 'She is a courageous lady and a very professional lady. She’s done a lot of work with me in recent months.
'She also came over to the G8 foreign ministers’ summit in London to work with me on our initiative on preventing sexual violence in conflict and travelled with me through some difficult places in the Congo.
'She gave no sign that she was undergoing such treatment and I think she’s a very brave lady, not only to carry on with her work so well during such treatment, but also to write about it now and talk about it. I think that she’s a brave lady and will be an inspiration to many.'
Angelina isn't the only celebrity to make the difficult decision to have a preventative mastectomy after discovering she was a carrier of the BRCA1 gene.
Sharon Osbourne revealed last year that she had undergone the procedure after previously battling colon cancer back in 2002.
Explaining the decision, Sharon said at the time: 'As soon as I found out I had the breast cancer gene, I thought, "The odds are not in my favour."
'I’ve had cancer before and I didn’t want to live under that cloud. I decided to just take everything off, and had a double mastectomy.'
Former Liberty X singer Michelle Heaton also underwent a preventative double mastectomy after discovering she carried the BRCA2 gene, meaning she had up to an 80% chance of getting breast cancer.
Speaking about Angelina's decision on Daybreak on Tuesday morning, Michelle said: 'I can't even stress how much of an impact that I had talking to women to say that I was going through this, it was such a huge impact. Imagine what impact somebody as huge as Angelina Jolie can have on this.'
And E! News presenter Giuliana Rancic, who had a double mastectomy in December 2012 after being diagnosed with breast cancer in October 2011, was quick to tweet her support for Angelina, writing: 'Proud of her for using her incredible platform to educate women.'
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