Angelina Jolie has always been open about her health and her efforts to reduce her risk of developing cancer.
Following a double mastectomy in 2013, the 40-year-old star underwent a second preventive surgery to remove her ovaries and fallopian tubes earlier this year.
The procedure put her into forced menopause, but as Angelina reveals in a new interview with The Daily Telegraph, that particular side effect hasn’t been too difficult to deal with.
“I actually love being in menopause,” she told the publication.
“I haven’t had a terrible reaction to it, so I’m very fortunate. I feel older, and I feel settled being older.”
The By The Sea actress/director sadly lost her grandmother, aunt and mother to cancer over the years, and her family history made her think seriously about the need for preventive procedures.
“I’m someone who didn’t think I would live very long. I’ve been worried about death and cancer and life,” she told People.
“I think I’ve lived very much for the day. Now I’ve settled into my life with my children and Brad.”
The star’s six children have been at the centre of her decision to undergo surgery, with Brad’s support giving her strength.
“[Brad] made it very, very clear to me that what he loved and what was a woman to him was somebody who was smart and capable and cared about her family,” she said in an earlier interview withToday.
“It’s not about your physical body. So I knew through the surgeries that he was on my side and that this wasn’t something where I was going to feel less of a woman, because my husband wasn’t going to let that happen.”
