Angelina Jolie has ovaries removed after early signs of cancer are detected

Angelina Jolie has undergone surgery to remove her ovaries and fallopian tubes, after possible early signs of cancer were detected.

The actress and wife of Brad Pitt underwent a double mastectomy just two years ago, and made the decision to undergo the surgery, which has put her into a forced menopause and means she won't be able to have anymore children.

Angelina is thought to have been planning the surgery for a while - as her own mother Marcheline Bertrand died of ovarian cancer at 49 - but rushed ahead with it, after her doctor saw "inflammatory markers" which could point to cancer.

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Writing in the New York Time, the mother of six explained: "Two weeks ago I got a call from my doctor with blood-test results.

“Your CA-125 is normal,” he said. I breathed a sigh of relief. That test measures the amount of the protein CA-125 in the blood, and is used to monitor ovarian cancer. I have it every year because of my family history.

"But that wasn’t all. He went on. There are a number of inflammatory markers that are elevated, and taken together they could be a sign of early cancer.” I took a pause.

"'CA-125 has a 50 to 75 percent chance of missing ovarian cancer at early stages,' he said. "He wanted me to see the surgeon immediately to check my ovaries.

"I went through what I imagine thousands of other women have felt. I told myself to stay calm, to be strong, and that I had no reason to think I wouldn’t live to see my children grow up and to meet my grandchildren.

"I called my husband in France, who was on a plane within hours. The beautiful thing about such moments in life is that there is so much clarity. You know what you live for and what matters. It is polarizing, and it is peaceful.

"That same day I went to see the surgeon, who had treated my mother. I last saw her the day my mother passed away, and she teared up when she saw me: 'You look just like her'

I broke down. But we smiled at each other and agreed we were there to deal with any problem, so 'let’s get on with it.'"