Former EastEnders actress Kara Tointon has revealed she has undergone a double mastectomy following a gene test.
The 41-year-old, also known for her work in dramas including The Teacher and Mr Selfridge, revealed that tests showed she carried the BRCA gene – which can put her at very high risk of cancer.
Tointon, from Basildon in Essex, posted an Instagram video on Wednesday to raise awareness of the preventative measure she had taken.
She said: “You may have heard of the BRCA genes 1 and 2 and as a carrier it means I am at a greater risk of both breast and ovarian cancer.”
In 2018, the soap star said she was asked to take a genetics test when her mother Carol was undergoing treatment for ovarian cancer.
She is working with gynaecological cancer charity the Eve Appeal, of which she is an ambassador.
“There is a history of both cancers in my family on my mother’s side, but for various reasons, including generational trauma of which I’ll talk more about another time, we hadn’t looked into it until that point,” she said.
“But it was put to us, we took the test, and it was confirmed that my mum and I both carried the gene.”
Ms Tointon’s mother died in 2019.
“Last year, having had my second son in 2021 and deciding that our family was complete, I underwent two preventative surgeries,” she said.
“The first a double mastectomy and the second a two-part protector study, a trial.
“They believe that ovarian cancer begins in the fallopian tubes so by removing them first, checking them out, you then remove the ovaries later, and closer to menopause,” she added.
Hollywood star Angelina Jolie underwent a double mastectomy after she discovered she carried the BRCA1 gene, leading to greater awareness of the gene defect.
Around one in 1,000 women across the UK have a BRCA1 variant, but most breast and ovarian cancers happen due to chance damage to genes.
After several tests, including biopsies and MRIs, Tointon said: “I decided that this was the right decision for me and my family.
“It wasn’t an easy decision, but one I’m very glad and lucky I made, and I can now, with hindsight, talk about it properly.”
