Watch: Actress Kara Tointon reveals she has undergone double mastectomy after cancer scare

Eastenders star Kara Tointon reveals she's undergone double mastectomy following cancer scareKara Tointon

Transcript

00:00You may have heard of the BRCA genes one and two and as a carrier it means I am at a greater risk

00:07of both breast and ovarian cancer. Back in 2018 while my mum was undergoing treatment for ovarian

00:15cancer I was asked to take a genetics test. There is a history of both cancers in my family on my

00:22mother's side. We hadn't looked into it until that point but it was put to us we took the test

00:28and it was confirmed that my mum and I both carried the gene. I was pregnant with my first

00:34child at the time. I knew I wanted more children if possible so over the next couple of years I was

00:41invited to various meetings by the NHS to really become informed and to understand all my options

00:47and so last year having had my second son in 2021 deciding our family was complete last year

00:58I underwent two preventative surgeries the first a double mastectomy and second a two-part protector

01:04study, a trial. They believe that ovarian cancer begins in the fallopian tube so by removing them

01:12first checking them out you then remove the ovaries later and closer to menopause. We are finding out

01:22more and more about personal genetics and many people find that regular surveillance suits them

01:30very well but for me having done that for a few years MRIs, finding things, biopsies, waiting for results

01:38I decided that this was the right decision for me and my family. It wasn't an easy decision

01:44but one I'm very glad and lucky I made

01:47but one I'm very glad and lucky I made

01:47so that this was going out.

01:50I couldn't Prince

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