In a powerful and deeply personal move, Hollywood icon Angelina Jolie has publicly revealed the scars from her preventative double mastectomy for the very first time. The Oscar-winning actor, now 50, posed for a striking cover photoshoot with Time France magazine, using her global platform to amplify breast cancer awareness and honour survivors of the disease.
A Decade-Long Journey to Public Revelation
The cover image, released on Wednesday, 17 December 2025, shows Jolie with a bare chest, clearly displaying the marks from her 2013 surgery. Jolie underwent the procedure to remove both breasts after testing positive for a mutation in the BRCA1 gene, which dramatically increased her lifetime risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer. This decision followed the tragic death of her mother, Marcheline Bertrand, from those same cancers in 2007.
"I share these scars with many women I love," Jolie told the publication in an interview. "I’m always moved when I see other women share theirs. I wanted to join them, knowing that TIME France would be sharing information about breast health, prevention and knowledge about breast cancer."
The 'Angelina Jolie Effect' and a Continued Health Battle
Jolie's initial decision to go public with her preventative surgery in a 2013 New York Times op-ed had a seismic impact, now widely known as the 'Angelina Jolie effect'. It led to a significant, immediate surge in genetic testing inquiries and breast cancer screenings worldwide. At the time, she revealed her estimated risk of breast cancer had been 87%, which the surgery reduced to under 5%.
Her health journey continued two years later when, in another preventative measure, she also had her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed. The mother-of-six has been vocal about her motivation, stating, "I can tell my children that they don’t need to fear they will lose me to breast cancer."
Championing Accessible Healthcare and Information
In her latest interview, Jolie emphasised the critical need for accessible healthcare. "Every woman should always be able to determine her own healthcare journey and have the information she needs to make informed choices," she asserted. She specifically called for genetic testing and screening to be affordable and available for women with clear risk factors or a significant family history.
The photoshoot coincides with her promotion for the upcoming film Coutures, directed by Alice Winocour and set for release in February, in which she portrays a filmmaker diagnosed with breast cancer. Jolie's advocacy highlights a sobering statistic: breast cancer remains the most common cancer diagnosed among women, with approximately one in eight facing a diagnosis in their lifetime.
