Angelina Jolie, 37, shocked and touched the world with her frank admission in a New York Times op-ed that she had undergone an elective double mastectomy because she carries a "faulty" gene, BRCA1, that took her mother at age 56. "I hope that other women can benefit from my experience," she wrote.
Christina Applegate
Up All Night star Christina Applegate, 41, had both breasts removed in a preventative procedure after receiving a breast cancer diagnosis in 2008. Like Jolie, she carries the BRCA1 gene. Talking to Good Morning America, she called the choice "tough" but the "most logical" possibility.
Giuliana Rancic
E! host Giuliana Rancic, 38, underwent a double mastectomy in 2012. She says after reading the news about Angelina Jolie, she "smiled and let out a sigh of relief. Relief that more and more women are getting the courage to share their stories for the most selfless reason of all…to help other women."
Hoda Kotb
Today show co-host Hoda Kotb, 48, was diagnosed with a malignant lump in her breast in 2007 and a week later had a mastectomy. She kept a video diary during the procedure, and shared it with Today viewers. "Cancer gave me the gift of being fearless," Kotb said at the time. "What I get from this whole horrible ordeal is 'You can't scare me.'"
Judy Blume
In 2012, beloved young adult author Judy Blume, 75, revealed that she underwent the procedure in an honest, funny essay posted to her website: "My dense, small breasts aged well. They stayed perky while other body parts sagged. I’d become quite fond of them. Still, the idea of mastectomy wasn’t a difficult emotional decision for me (again, these are very personal reactions and decisions). Maybe because my breasts have never defined my sexuality. Who knows?"
Kathy Bates
Kathy Bates, 64, used Twitter to reveal her own double mastectomy in 2012, and couldn't resist plugging her NBC series while she was at it: "Hey All, sorry for the long silence. I was diagnosed with breast cancer 2 months ago & am recovering from a double mastectomy. I don’t miss my breasts as much as I miss Harry’s Law."
Lynn Redgrave
Actress Lynn Redgrave underwent a mastectomy in 2003 and penned a book about her experiences with cancer, Journal: A Mother and Daughter's Recovery from Breast Cancer. She passed away in 2010 at age 67 from the disease.
Nancy Reagan
Former First Lady Nancy Reagan had her left breast removed in 1987 after cancer was detected in it. Reagan and her doctors chose a modified radical mastectomy, in which the breast and a portion of one underlying muscle are removed, instead of a less-extensive lumpectomy. The surgery was a success. Reagan is currently 91 and still cancer-free.
Olivia Newton-John
Grease star Olivia Newton-John, 64, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992 and underwent a mastectomy. The disease led her to become an outspoken advocate for breast cancer awareness. In 2008, Newton-John raised funds to help build the Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Centre in Melbourne, Australia.
Sharon Osbourne
Former America's Got Talent host Sharon Osbourne, 60, chose a preventive double mastectomy in 2012, like Angelina Jolie did, because she too carries the cancer-causing gene. The wife of Ozzy Osbourne had colon cancer a decade prior and wasn't taking any chances: "As soon as I found out I had the breast cancer gene, I thought: 'The odds are not in my favor,'" Osbourne told HELLO!. "I've had cancer before and I didn't want to live under that cloud: I decided to just take everything off, and had a double mastectomy. I didn't even think of my breasts in a nostalgic way, I just wanted to be able to live my life without that fear all the time."
Wanda Sykes
Comedian Wanda Sykes, 49, revealed to Ellen DeGeneres in 2011 that she had a double mastectomy after doctors found evidence of early-stage breast cancer in her left breast. Pathologists discovered that she had ductal carcinoma in situ, also known as DCIS. “I was very, very lucky, because DCIS is basically stage zero cancer,” Sykes told DeGeneres.
Linda Ellerbee
Journalist Linda Ellerbee, 68, got her breast cancer diagnosis in 1992 and underwent the tissue-removal surgery. “I knew from the beginning that I would need to wrap my friends and family around me like an old quilt to get through this,” she told Coping in 1996. “I couldn’t walk through this valley alone, nor would I want to, and I discovered in the journey that the more I was able to ask for help and to be open about needing it, the more I got it.”