Angelina Jolie loves her double mastectomy “scars” because they show she has “lived a full life”.
The 50-year-old actress — who underwent a double mastectomy in 2013 after doctors discovered she had a gene known as BRCA1 that increases the risk of breast and ovarian cancer — explained she likes having scars on her body as she believes they tell an honest story of her life.
Speaking with France Inter, Angelina said: “I’ve always been someone more interested in the scars and the life that people carry.
“I’m not drawn to some perfect idea of a life that has no scars.”
The Maleficent star — who has Maddox, 24, Pax, 22, Zahara, 21, Shiloh, 19, as well as twins Knox and Vivienne, both 17, with her ex Brad Pitt — added the double mastectomy scars will always remind her of the choice she made to do what she could do to stay here as long as she could with her children.
Angelina also noted she was glad she was given the “choice to do something proactive with [her] health”, as she pointed to her late mother Marcheline Bertrand, who died aged 56 from breast cancer in 2007.
She said: “I lost my mom very when I was young. I’m raising my children without a grandmother. [If] you get to the end of your life and you haven’t made mistakes, you haven’t made a mess, you don’t have scars, you haven’t lived a full enough life.”
Angelina had first shared her mastectomy scars in a photoshoot for Time France in December 2025 in an effort to raise awareness for women who have lived through similar experiences.
She told the publication: “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.”
Angelina — who revealed in 2015 she had had her fallopian tubes and ovaries removed to reduce her chances of ovarian cancer — said she 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 two 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.”
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