Angelina Jolie has said she does not regret her decision to undergo a double mastectomy and have her ovaries removed after discovering she carried the BRCA gene mutation, which significantly increases the risk of breast and ovarian cancer. The 50-year-old actress, known for her roles in Tomb Raider and her latest film Maria, reflected on her preventative surgeries in an interview with Hello! magazine, saying her decision was influenced by the deaths of her mother and grandmother from cancer. “I did choose to have that (surgery) because I lost my mother and my grandmother very young,” she said.
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Jolie’s mother, Marcheline Bertrand, died in 2007 at the age of 56 following a battle with breast and ovarian cancer. “I have the BRCA gene, so I chose to have a double mastectomy a decade ago. And then I’ve also had my ovaries removed, because that’s what took my mother,” Jolie explained. The actress said she feels at peace with her choice and emphasised the importance of women having access to information and options about their health. “Those are my choices,” she said. “I don’t say everybody should do it that way, but it’s important to have the choice. And I don’t regret it.”
The BRCA (BReast CAncer) gene mutation can significantly raise the likelihood of developing breast and ovarian cancers, often at an early age, according to the US National Cancer Institute. Jolie first revealed her double mastectomy in 2013, when doctors estimated she had an 87 per cent chance of developing breast cancer and a 50 per cent risk of ovarian cancer. She later had her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed in 2015.
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Her upcoming film Couture explores similar themes of illness, strength, and recovery. Jolie stars as Maxine, a woman coping with a breast cancer diagnosis while enduring the emotional and physical challenges of chemotherapy. “I think there’s much to say about this, and it is uniting for not just women but for anybody who’s gone through something, or someone who feels vulnerable and alone,” she said. Although the film is set in the world of high fashion, Jolie explained its message goes far deeper: “I think it’s not really a film about fashion; it’s a film about the fragility of life. Fashion, to me, is a metaphor for the world of appearances — a world where you have to hide your wounds.”
