Mum-of-two: ‘Like Angelina Jolie, I had my ovaries removed to watch my kids grow up’

Actress Angelina Jolie opened up last week about having her ovaries removed to reduce her cancer risk. Mum Heidi Kilgariff tells Closer she knows only too well the trauma she has been through.

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by Miranda Knox |
Published on

In a heartbreakingly honest admission last week, celeb mum Angelina Jolie spoke out about her brave decision to have her ovaries removed to prevent cancer.

The mum-of-six had a double mastectomy in 2013 after finding out she had the BRCA1 gene- a condition that raises the chance of getting breast cancer by as much as 87 per cent and ovarian cancer by 50 per cent.

And after blood test results found an abnormality that could signal early stages of cancer, the Hollywood actress has revealed she made the difficult decision to have her ovaries removed- resulting in premature menopause- to ensure she'll see her kids grow up.

ANGELINA JOLIE HAS OVARIES AND FALLOPIAN TUBES REMOVED AFTER CANCER SCARE

In a touchingly poignant article, she wrote: "I know now my children will never have to say 'Mom died of ovarian cancer'."

Mum-of-two Heidi Kilgariff made the same tough decision as Angelina. After testing positive for BRCA1 in 2011, Heidi decided to undergo both a mastectomy and an op to remove her ovaries and fallopian tubes.

KELLY OSBOURNE: 'I HAVE THE DEADLY CANCER GENE'

Full-time mum Heidi, 38, says: "Rationally, it was a no-brainer for me. I wanted to do everything I could to make sure my children will never have to watch their mummy battle ovarian or breast cancer and that I will be there to protect them.

"But emotionally it's hard- the thought that you are doing something so final that you will never be pregnant again is devastating. I didn't want to go through the menopause so young and also I worried my husband wouldn't find me attractive any more.

"But if I ever feel down I remind myself why I'm doing it- just like Angelina, I will be there for the children I already have."

**Read Heidi's story in full in Closer magazine, out now. **

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