A-lister Angelina Jolie has opened up courageously about why she has finally decided to go public with the scars from her double mastectomy, which she had over ten years ago
Oscar-winning actress Angelina Jolie has opened up courageously about why she has finally decided to bare the scars of her mastectomy 15 years after the life-saving operation.
The actress, 50, had a preventative double mastectomy in early 2013 – but has only now decided to publicly reveal her scars, in a powerful new interview.. She said, “I share these scars with many women I love. And I’m always moved when I see other women share theirs.
“I wanted to join them, knowing that TIME France would be sharing information about breast health, prevention, and knowledge about breast cancer.”
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The cover star poses on the cover of Time FRANCE magazine in a low-cut black jumper, subtly covering one breast with her hand. The full interview, published on December 18, is accompanied by photos of the mother-of-six’s surgery.
The Hollywood star had both breasts surgically removed before undergoing reconstructive surgery, after finding out that she carries a mutation in her BRCA1 gene – something which dramatically increases a person’s risk of breast cancer.
She was told after being tested that she had an estimated 87 per cent risk of breast cancer and 50 per cent risk of ovarian cancer. Following her double mastectomy, Jolie in March 2015 also had ovaries and fallopian tubes removed as a preventive measure against developing ovarian cancer.
Sadly, breast cancer has cast a shadow over the actress’s family. She lost her mother, French actress Marcheline Bertrand, to the disease at just 56 in 2007 – and her grandmother and aunt also passed away from cancer.
Jolie revealed in 2020 that her mother’s untimely death had a profound effect on her life. She said, “I lost my mother in my thirties.When I look back to that time, I can see how much her death changed me. It was not sudden, but so much shifted inside.
“Losing a mother’s love and warm, soft embrace is like having someone rip away a protective blanket.”
In the new interview, Jolie, whose long and painful divorce from ex-husband Brad Pitt was finalised last year, makes a passionate plea for BRCA screenings available to every woman.
‘Every woman should always be able to determine her own healthcare journey and have the information she needs to make informed choices: genetic testing and screening should be accessible and affordable for women with clear risk factors or a significant family history.’
She added, “When I shared my experience in 2013, it was to encourage informed choices. Healthcare decisions must be personal, and women must have the information and support they need to make those choices. Access to screening and care should not depend on financial resources or where someone lives.’
Jolie’s latest project, the upcoming film Couture, is one that is close to her heart, as in it she plays Maxine Walker, an American filmmaker diagnosed with breast cancer;.
Set for release next February, she said of it, “’Too often, films about women’s struggles especially cancer, talk about endings and sadness, rarely about life’.
‘Hardships, illnesses, and pain are part of our existence, but what matters is how we face them,’ she went on.
‘My mother was ill for years. One evening, when she was being asked about her chemotherapy, she became very emotional and told me she would have preferred to talk about something else; she felt as though the illness was becoming her entire identity.
‘I love this film because it tells a story that goes far beyond the journey of a sick person: it shows life. It was this luminous perspective that touched me and made me want to play this role.’
