Kara Tointon's 'overwhelming relief' after undergoing double mastectomy

"I didn’t have cancer, but my decision was driven by it."

Kara's mother, Caroline, sadly died in 2019 following the diagnosis of ovarian cancer. This led to her and her sister taking the test, with Kara's coming back positive.

While the star opted to put off surgery until after the birth of her second child, finding benign lumps in her breast convinced her to undergo the operation last year.

She added: "The operation did take a mental toll - I found myself surprisingly tired for about three months, but to a certain extent that was overridden by the overwhelming sense of relief.

"I still have some procedures to complete but I’m very happy with the results and the decision I’ve made."

Kara played Dawn Swann in EastEnders(Image: BBC)

Five months after the mastectomy, the actress had a second surgery to remove her fallopian tubes, and is planning on having her ovaries also removed in the next few years.

Kara concluded: "One of the biggest fears people have around this type of surgery is the physical scars it leaves and, while I do have those, I don’t worry about them.

How you look becomes far less of a concern when you’ve seen your body heal from two potentially life-saving operations.

"I now live a peaceful life in Sogne, southern Norway, with my partner, Marius, and our two sons, but I hope I can use my experience to spread awareness of the tests and operations that can help defend against breast and ovarian cancer."