The 39-year-old star – who has had her breasts, ovaries and fallopian tubes removed to minimize her risk of cancer because she carries the BRCA1 gene – insists she has learned from all her experiences, both good and bad.
Asked if she thinks there’s wisdom to the idea that struggle helps you to grow, she told Elle “I do believe in the old saying, ‘What does not kill you makes you stronger’. Our experiences, good and bad, make us who we are. By overcoming difficulties, we gain strength and maturity.”
The ‘Maleficent’ actress’ comments come after she revealed last week that she’d decided to have her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed after a test showed markers she could be in the early stages of ovarian cancer.
She said at the time: “Last week, I had the procedure: a laparoscopic bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. There was a small benign tumor on one ovary, but no signs of cancer in any of the tissues.”