TV and movie actress Christina Applegate has taken the decision to have her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed.
It's been almost nine years since the mum-of-one underwent a double mastectomy following a breast cancer diagnosis in 2008 - and now the former Friends star is speaking out about these next steps to ward off the killer disease.
The procedure that she had done is called a salpingo-oophorectomy, and it is designed to remove a woman's ovaries and fallopian tubes. The surgery decreases women's chances of developing both breast and ovarian cancer, which is the fifth deadliest cancer for women and kills more women than any other gynaecological cancer.
Talking openly on the Today Show about the decision, Christina said: 'I had my ovaries and [fallopian] tubes removed. My cousin passed away from ovarian cancer in 2008. I could prevent that.'
'That's how I've taken control of everything. It's a relief. That's one other thing off the table.
'Now, lets hope I don't get hit by a bus,' the 45-year-old joked.
Christina also revealed that she tested positive for the BRCA1 gene mutation, which greatly increases the odds of developing cancer.
There's also a chance that her six-year-old daughter, Sadie will inherit the gene, which has massively impacted their lifestyle.
'The chances that my daughter is BRCA positive are very high,' Christina said. 'I feed her the cleanest foods, I try to keep her stress levels down. I'm doing everything I can on my end knowing that in 20 years, she'll have to start getting tested.'
'Hopefully by then there be medical advancements.'
Since her mastectomy, Christina no longer needs mammograms, but she does visit the oncologist every six months to keep tabs on her health.
The star also only eats organic foods to reduce the amount of pesticides, fertilizers and other harmful chemicals she puts in her body, as this is thought to reduce the chances of developing cancer.
'We grow our own vegetables. We're a 100 percent organic house. My daughter is a vegetarian and practically vegan. That's her choice.'
