Angelina Jolie took drastic measures to overcome having a deadly cancer gene – as it emerged in The Sun on Sunday that eight family members have tragically fallen victim to the disease.

The 39-year-old actress had new surgery recently to remove her ovaries and fallopian tubes, two years after she had a double mastectomy after discovering she has the BRCA gene.

The mother-of-six went public about her decision to go through with the procedure in order to raise awareness and to save lives.

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Harrowing: Mother-of-six Angelina Jolie (pictured with daughters Zahara (left) and Shiloh (right) has endured new surgery – as it emerges EIGHT members of her family have been killed by deadly cancer gene

Taking steps: The 39-year-old actress had new surgery recently to remove her ovaries and fallopian tubes, two years after she had a double mastectomy after discovering she has the BRCA gene

A portrait of Angelina’s family, taken in 1977 is a particularly poignant reminder of the dangers of the disease, which sees sufferers hit by cancer in early life.

Angelina’s mother, Marcheline Bertrand, died of ovarian cancer in 2007 aged just 56. The Sun On Sunday reports that Angelina’s aunt, Debbie Martin, died of breast cancer in 2007 aged 61.

Great aunt, Stella Laws and cousin Francine were also hit by the disease – grandad Rolland Bertrand, died of sweat gland cancer in 1985 aged 61 and Uncle Raleigh was also a victim.

Angelina’s grandmother Lois died of ovarian cancer at aged 45, while her great-grandmother, Virginia Gouwens, was killed by the same disease aged 53.

Tragedy: Jolie pictured with her mother Marcheline Bertrand, who died in January 2007 at the age of 56 after an eight-year battle with ovarian cancer

Meanwhile, Angelina’s uncle Ron Martin, who was married to Angelina’s late wife Debbie, told the paper that he’s proud of Angelina’s revelation.

‘She’s very private.’ he said. ‘In exposing her medical history, she’s doing it for a cause. She can save hundreds of thousands of lives.

Debbie, died in May 2013, less than two weeks after Angelina revealed she had undergone a double mastectomy in a bid to avoid cancer.

Ron added: ‘[Debbie] was proud and happy Angelina had a chance to beat this.’

The Maleficent star published a lengthy opinion piece, titled Angelina Jolie Pitt: Diary Of A Surgery in the New York Times on Monday, explaining her decision.

With her ovaries and Fallopian tubes now gone, the mother-of-six has entered early menopause and will not be able to have any more children, she writes in her candid, deeply personal essay.

In the op-ed piece, Jolie explains that the mutation in the BRCA1 gene gave her an estimated 87 per cent risk of breast cancer and 50 per cent risk of ovarian cancer.

Less than a fortnight ago, Hollywood’s leading lady went under the knife, undergoing what is known as a laparoscopic bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy.

Jolie revealed that one of her ovaries did have a small tumor on it but it turned out to be benign, and there were no signs of cancer in the tissues.

She noted that she chose to keep her uterus because there is no history of uterine cancer in her family.

 

MailOnline has contacted a spokesperson for Angelina Jolie for further comment.