‘Share these with women I love’: Angelina Jolie reveals mastectomy scars on Time Magazine

Angelina Jolie has once again placed women’s health at the centre of global conversation by publicly revealing her mastectomy scars for the first time. The actor appears on the inaugural cover of Time Magazine France, where she is seen confidently displaying the scars from her preventive double mastectomy. 

Explaining her decision to share this deeply personal part of her journey now, Jolie said the act was rooted in solidarity and shared experience.

“I share these scars with many women I love,” she said, adding that she is deeply moved whenever she sees other women open up about similar journeys. “I’m always moved when I see other women share theirs.”

Jolie’s choice to undergo preventive surgery was shaped by a strong family history of cancer. Her mother, actor Marcheline Bertrand, died in 2007 at the age of 56 after a prolonged battle with the disease.

In a widely read 2013 New York Times op-ed titled My Medical Choice, Jolie revealed that she carries the BRCA1 gene mutation, which sharply increased her risk of developing breast cancer.

“I wanted to write this to tell other women that the decision to have a mastectomy was not easy,” she wrote at the time. “But it is one I am very happy that I made.”

The actor explained that the surgery significantly reduced her risk—from 87 per cent to under five per cent—allowing her to reassure her children. “I can tell my children that they don’t need to fear they will lose me to breast cancer,” she wrote.

Jolie’s focus on prevention continued in 2015, when she underwent surgery to remove her ovaries and fallopian tubes to lower her risk of ovarian cancer.

In her recent interview with Time France, Jolie used her platform to advocate for wider access to genetic testing and health screening, particularly for women with a strong family history of cancer.

“Every woman should always be able to determine her own healthcare journey,” she said, stressing that genetic testing and screening must be accessible and affordable for those at higher risk.

Reflecting on her decision to go public with her health journey more than a decade ago, Jolie said her intent has always been clear: to ensure women have the information, resources, and agency needed to make informed choices about their bodies and their futures.