Bedfordshire Woman Feels For Angelina Jolie

20 May 2013, 06:00 | Updated: 20 May 2013, 10:26

Angelina Jolie recently announced that she'd had surgery to remove both her breasts after finding out she had a gene that could give her breast cancer.

Heart's been to Leighton Buzzard to meet a mum who's just had the same operation.

Charlotte Maison, 33, had one of her breasts removed in 2011 after she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Despite having no family history, she underwent tests to find out if she carried the rare cancer gene.

The tests came back positive meaning Charlotte had an 85% chance of getting breast cancer again.

In January Charlotte chose to have her second breast removed

Speaking to Heart, she says it was an easy decision for her:

"At the time I didn't care what my body looked like, my main thing was getting it cut out of my body and being there to see my daughter grow up."

Charlotte was given breast reconstruction surgery and has healed well. 

She says it was the right decision for her and she's moving on- she's even been on a family holiday where she wore a bikini:

"I do feel normal, I can walk down the street and I don't feel like people are looking at me, I went on holiday recently and wore a bikini for the first time, just doing normal everyday things."

Charlotte says she was really taken aback when she found out Angelina Jolie had undergone the same procedure as her.

"Angelina Jolie is famous for her body so its a really empowering thing that she's done. She made a statement to say doesn't feel any less feminine because of it and i think thats a really strong, bold statement to all women who have had the surgery or are considering it."