'It was a no-brainer': Kara Tointon had double mastectomy because of her family's history with cancer
Former EastEnders actress Kara Tointon found it an easy decision to have a double mastectomy last year after losing both her mother and aunt to cancer.
Kara Tointon says it was a "no-brainer" for her to have a double mastectomy because of her family's history with cancer.
The former EastEnders star revealed last May that she had undergone a double mastectomy and the removal of her fallopian tubes after discovering that she carried the BRCA1 gene mutation – which significantly raises the risk of both breast and ovarian cancer – and admits that losing her mother and aunt to the disease made it a straightforward choice for her to have the procedure.
Speaking on ITV's Good Morning Britain on Monday (12.01.26), Kara said: "We're living in a time where we're so lucky to become aware of personal genetics, and there's a choice in that, sometimes that can be a daunting thing we wish we didn't know about."
The 42-year-old star continued: "For me to be given the opportunity to make the choice and see what it's done to my family, it was a no-brainer for me.
"I've had a lucky shot. Everyone has the BRCA gene, but some people have the gene that's faulty, and it's a 50 per cent chance that it is passed down."
Kara – who won the 2010 series of the BBC's Saturday night favourite Strictly Come Dancing – explained that the most difficult part of the process was making the call to book her first appointment.
She told hosts Susanna Reid and Ed Balls: "I couldn't talk about it at the time because it is a big deal I suppose."
In a message to viewers, the actress added: "Don't be scared, facing things actually is empowering."
Kara revealed all about her double mastectomy in an Instagram video last year and explained that she was keen to share her "knowledge" on the subject with others.
She said: "It wasn't an easy decision, but one I'm very glad and lucky I made. And I can now with hindsight talk about it properly.
"I wanted to talk about it because hearing other people's experiences helped so much, and knowledge is power, communication is key, getting to know ourselves, our bodies, our cycles is only a good thing."
