Former EastEnders star Kara Tointon, 41, has revealed she underwent a double mastectomy and had her fallopian tubes removed as a preventative measure after discovering she carries the BRCA1 gene. The actress lost her mother, Carol, to ovarian cancer in 2018.
In an Instagram post, Tointon explained that she took a genetics test in 2018 while her mother was undergoing treatment for ovarian cancer. The test confirmed that both she and her mother carried the BRCA1 gene, which significantly increases the risk of breast and ovarian cancer.
Tointon, who has two sons, said she delayed surgery until her family was complete. She underwent two preventative procedures last year: a double mastectomy and a two-part study to remove her fallopian tubes, as research suggests ovarian cancer often begins there.
The NHS states that while cancer is not usually inherited, faulty versions of genes like BRCA1 and BRCA2 can be passed down and greatly increase the risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer. Tointon said she chose surgery after several years of surveillance, including MRIs and biopsies, describing it as a difficult but welcome decision.
