'It's about taking control': Former Eastenders star Kara Tointon reveals she's undergone a double mastectomy
28 May 2025, 19:05
The former Eastenders actress has revealed she underwent the procedure following her mother's death from ovarian cancer.
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Ms Tointon, 41, discovered she was a carrier of the 'deadly' BRCA1 gene.
The actress and former Strictly Come Dancing winner took to Instagram on Wednesday to share a post outlining her decision after losing her mother to ovarian cancer in 2018.
Ms Tointon, who has two young children with fiancé Marius Jensen, confirmed she has undergone a double mastectomy and had her fallopian tubes removed as a preventative measure.
The actress' operation follows six years on from the passing of her mother, Carol.
In her post, the former soap star said: "It's about understanding choices, and taking control".
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The actress is an ambassador for the Eve appeal - a charity that raises awareness of gynaecological cancers.
Ms Tointon opened up to her followers about the journey that led to the discovery.
Speaking ahead of the charity's Get Lippy campaign to highlight the causes and symptoms of various gynae cancers - Ms Tointon said: “You may have heard of the BRCA genes type 1 and 2 and as a carrier it means that I am at a greater risk of both breast and ovarian cancer.
“Back in 2018 when my mum was undergoing treatment for ovarian cancer, I was asked to take a genetics test.
“There is a history of both cancers in my family 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.
“But it was put to us, we took the test and it was confirmed that my mum and I both carried the gene.”
She added that being a mother to two young children influenced her decision: "I was pregnant with my first child at the time, knew I wanted more children if possible so over the next couple of years I was invited to various meetings by the NHS to really become informed and to understand all my options.
"Last year having had my second son in 2021 and deciding that our family was complete, I underwent two preventative surgeries.
"The first a double mastectomy and the second a two part protector study, a trial.
"They believe that ovarian cancer begins in the fallopian tubes so by removing them first checking out you can remove the ovaries later."
The actress added: "We are finding out more and more about personal genetics and most people believe in surveillance, but after doing this for a couple of years, having MRIs, waiting for biopsy, we decided that this was the right decision for me and my family.
"I wasn't an easy decision, but one I am very glad that I made and I can now with hindsight talk about it properly."
Ms Tointon's decision comes after Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie made the brave decision to undergo a double mastectomy in 2013 after finding out she had a 50% risk of developing ovarian cancer.
