Angelina Jolie publicly shares mastectomy scares
Angelina Jolie has shared her mastectomy scars in a new photoshoot for TIME France.
Angelina Jolie has shared her mastectomy scars in a new photoshoot.
The 50-year-old actress underwent a preventative double mastectomy in 2013 after learning she had the BRCA1 gene, which significantly increased her risk of breast and ovarian cancer, and she always feels "moved" when she sees the surgical markings on other women so was keen to raise awareness by sharing her own.
She told TIME France, who will publish the pictures in their new issue: "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."
The Maria actress - who revealed in 2015 she had had her fallopian tubes and ovaries removed to reduce her chances of ovarian cancer - believes screening for the BRCA1 gene should be routinely offered to women.
Asked if she felt the screening should be offered to all women as around 2 in 1000 carry the gene, she said: "Absolutely. 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.
"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."
Angelina can next be seen in Alice Winocour's movie Coutures, in which she plays a filmmaker diagnosed with breast cancer, and she admitted it was a "very personal" story for her, having lost her mother Marcheline Bertrand to cancer in 2007.
She said: "It's a very personal story for me; I immediately felt a deep connection with Maxine Walker, my character. I've always admired Alice's work; she's a brilliant director, and her approach to illness is unique.
"Too often, films about women's struggles—especially cancer—talk about endings and sadness, rarely about life. Alice has made a film about life, and that's precisely why the sensitive subjects it addresses are handled with such delicacy.
"Hardships, illnesses, and pain are part of our existence, but what matters is how we face them.
"For me, and for so many women who have experienced this, it was essential to remember that what allows us to get through these times is precisely life itself.
"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."
The new issue of TIME France goes on sale on 18 December.
