Angelina Jolie does not regret having a double mastectomy

In an interview with HELLO! magazine, Angelina said: "I did choose to have that (surgery) because I lost my mother and my grandmother very young.

"I have the BRCA gene, so I chose to have a double mastectomy a decade ago. I've also had my ovaries removed, because that's what took my mother. Those are my choices. I don't say everybody should do it that way, but it's important to have the choice. And I don't regret it."

Jolie's new movie Couture sees her play Maxine Walker - a filmmaker who discovers that she has breast cancer on a trip to Paris and questions if she will ever be desired again - and she believes the picture will strike a chord with all women who have suffered from cancer and similar hardships.

She said: "I think there's much to say about this, and it is uniting for not just women, but for anybody who's gone through something, or someone who feels vulnerable and alone.

"There's something very particular to women's cancers, because it obviously affects us and how we feel as women."

The Maria star continued: "When I read the script, I had an idea of where the film was going to go - and I certainly didn't think it would end the way this film ends, and I didn't think that the man in the film would respond the way he did, or that the desire would still be a part of the film.

"I think it's really important to understand that, and to continue to live and be desirous and feel as a woman - and, for those who love those women, to remind them that maybe that's something you can do."

Angelina explained how she honoured her mother during the making of Couture by wearing one of her necklaces.

She said: "I did wear my mother's necklace (in the film) and her ashes. I thought about her a lot... I was following my mother and I would think about all of these moments for her, and I wish that she had this community.

"I wish she was able to speak more, as openly as I have... and not feel as alone. I think she would have told Maxine to live every day and focus on life. You can't take any moment for granted."