Rita Wilson: Actress wife of Tom Hanks reveals she was recently diagnosed with breast cancer and had a double mastectomy

Actress urged women to get regular check-ups

Rita Wilson revealed she had been diagnosed with breast cancer (Reuters)

Actress Rita Wilson, the wife of Tom Hanks, has revealed she was recently diagnosed with breast cancer and has had a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery. She said she was getting better every day.

Ms Wilson, 58, who is known for films such as Sleepless in Seattle and It’s Complicated, made the revelation in a statement to People magazine, which explained why she was taking medical leave from Larry David’s Broadway play Fish in the Dark.

In the statement, she discussed her diagnosis in detail and urged others to get frequent check-ups for early detection.

“I am recovering and most importantly, expected to make a full recovery,” she wrote. “Why? Because I caught this early, have excellent doctors and because I got a second opinion.”

Ms Wilson has most recently been seen as a lawyer in the television legal drama The Good Wife. She has been married to Hanks for 26 years, and the pair are well-known as one of the more longtime Hollywood couples.