Angelina Jolie has publicly revealed her mastectomy scars for the first time, 15 years after undergoing a preventative double mastectomy. The 50-year-old actress posed for the cover of TIME France magazine, showing the scars in a low-cut black jumper. She said, 'I share these scars with many women I love. And I'm always moved when I see other women share theirs.'
Jolie had the surgery in early 2013 after discovering she carries a mutation in the BRCA1 gene, which gave her an estimated 87 per cent risk of breast cancer and a 50 per cent risk of ovarian cancer. She later had her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed in 2015 as a preventive measure. Her mother, Marcheline Bertrand, died of breast cancer at age 56 in 2007, and her grandmother and aunt also died from the disease.
In the interview, published on December 18, Jolie called for BRCA screenings to be accessible and affordable for all women. 'Every woman should always be able to determine her own healthcare journey and have the information she needs to make informed choices,' she said. She noted that access to screening 'should not depend on financial resources or where someone lives.'
Jolie also discussed her upcoming film 'Couture', in which she plays an American filmmaker diagnosed with breast cancer. She said the film focuses on life rather than sadness, adding, 'Hardships, illnesses, and pain are part of our existence, but what matters is how we face them.'
