Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt discuss his support for her decision to undergo mastectomy in rare joint interview

'I knew through the surgeries that he was on my side and that this wasn't something where I was going to feel less of a woman'

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt pictured together in May this year (Getty Images)

Angelina Jolie and Bratt Pitt have discussed how Pitt supported Jolie’s decision to undergo a double mastectomy in 2013.

The actress and UN envoy underwent preventative surgery in 2013 after testing positive for the BRCA1 gene, giving her an 87 per cent chance of developing breast cancer. Her mother, grandmother and aunt all died of the disease, and Jolie wrote about her decision to proceed with such drastic preventative surgery in The New York Times.

In a second editorial for the newspaper in March, she disclosed her decision to have her ovaries removed. The BRCA1 gene also puts carriers at a 50 per cent risk of ovarian cancer.

Speaking to Today, Jolie said Pitt’s support ensured she didn’t feel less of a woman after the surgeries.

“I knew through the surgeries that he was on my side and that this wasn't something where I was going to feel less of a woman, because my husband wasn't going to let that happen.”

Pitt said he supported his wife’s decision and would have done “whatever’s got to be done” in order to keep the family together.

“This was her charge, no question. It's a scary decision," he said. "There's many things that can go wrong and go many different directions.’