Originally appeared on E! Online.
Angelina Jolie is embracing an eternal chapter in her life.
Over a decade after the “Maleficent” actor underwent a double mastectomy, she shared why she’s ready to show her scars from the procedure for the first time.
“I share these scars with many women I love,” Jolie, 50, told TIME France in an interview published Dec. 15. “And I’m always moved when I see other women share theirs. I wanted to join them, knowing that TIME France would share information on breast health, prevention and knowledge about breast cancer.”
And true to her words, the “Eternals” star — who shares kids Maddox, 24, Pax, 21, Zahara, 20, Shiloh, 19, and twins Vivienne and Knox, 17, with ex-husband Brad Pitt — unveiled her scars on the front cover of the publication’s upcoming issue.
PHOTOS Angelina Jolie’s double mastectomy: Inside her road to recovery
Jolie has advocated for breast cancer awareness since her mom, fellow actor Marcheline Bertrand, died from the illness in 2007 at age 56. She then went through her own health scare six years later, revealing in her 2013 New York Times op-ed piece that doctors found a “faulty gene” called BRCA1 — which increased her risk of getting breast cancer and ovarian cancer — in her tests.
To help lower the odds, the Atelier Jolie founder had the preventative surgery shortly after her screening.
“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. I can tell my children that they don’t need to fear they will lose me to breast cancer.”
Jolie also removed her ovaries and fallopian tubes two years later, a decision she recently noted “every woman” should have access to when navigating their “own health journey.”
“Genetic tests and screening are intended to be accessible and affordable for women with obvious risk factors or significant family history,” she explained to TIME. “When in 2013, I shared my experience, it was to encourage informed choices. Health decisions must be personal, and women must have the information and support necessary to make these choices.”
She added, “Access to screening and care should not depend on financial resources or where you live.”
Brad Pitt is breaking his silence about finalizing his divorce from ex-wife Angelina Jolie following an eight-year legal battle.
