Breast cancer: British actress Kara Tointon undergoes double mastectomy following genetic testing

British actress Kara Tointon has undergone a double mastectomy after the death of her mother pushed her towards genetic testing.

The 41-year-old shared her health update in a video posted on social media.

“Hi I’m Kara Tointon, I’m a BRCA1 gene carrier,” she begins in the video, explaining she is sharing her story for gynaecological cancer charity The Eve Appeal’s ‘Get Lippy Month’ to “highlight genetic testing”.

READ MORE: Brad Pitt breaks his silence eight years after divorce

Tointon explained that as a BRCA1 gene carrier it means she is “at great risk of both breast and ovarian cancer”.

In 2018 while her mother was undergoing treatment for ovarian cancer Tointon says she was asked to take a genetic test.

READ MORE: Part of Princess Diana’s childhood home ‘burnt down’

“There is a history of both cancers in my family on my mother’s side, but for various reasons, including generational trauma of which I’ll talk more about another time, we hadn’t looked into it until that point,” she said.

She tested positive for BRCA1 and instead of being closely monitored and regularly tested for cancer, as some women choose, she decided to undergo two preventative surgeries in 2024.

“The first a double mastectomy and the second a two-part protector study, a trial,” she explained.

Tointon explained surgery was “the right decision for me and my family”.

For a daily dose of 9honey, subscribe to our newsletter here.

“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.”

Hollywood star Angelina Jolie famously underwent preventative surgery after testing positive to the BRCA1 gene in 2013.

Jolie’s mother Marcheline Bertrand died from breast and ovarian cancer in 2007.

READ MORE: The surprisingly cheap skincare an expert recommends for winter

Important reason these stars are in near-identical outfits

It is estimated that approximately one in 500 Australians carry a BRCA1 mutation and one in 225 carry a BRCA2 mutation.

Tointon found fame on hit BBC show EastEnders playing Dawn. She joined the star cast of Strictly Come Dancing in the UK in 2010, winning the competition and appeared in stage production The Sound of Music playing Maria in 2015.

Tointon shares two children with former fiancé Marius Jensen.

FOLLOW US ON WHATSAPP HERE: Stay across all the latest in celebrity, lifestyle and opinion via our WhatsApp channel. No comments, no algorithm and nobody can see your private details.