Kara Tointon is making a return to the spotlight following a five-year break from acting, during which time she also underwent a double mastectomy after being diagnosed with the BRCA1 gene.
The 42-year-old actress – who played Dawn Swann in EastEnders – appeared on BBC Breakfast earlier today (March 17). Speaking to hosts Jon Kay and Sally Nugent, she shared a health update, and spoke about the heartbreaking triple “family trauma” that prompted her to get checked.
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Kara Tointon on decision to have a double mastectomy
Last May, Kara – a mum of two – revealed that she’d had both of her breasts and her fallopian tubes removed. The actress revealed she underwent the surgery after discovering she carried the mutated BRCA1 gene.
Kara explained that she discovered she was a carrier of the gene while her mum was battling ovarian cancer. Her mum died in 2018.
While she was having treatment, Kara underwent genetic testing. And, while pregnant with her first child, she learnt that she was also a carrier of the mutated gene. The actress revealed that she wanted to have another child. So, following the birth of her second baby, she opted for the preventative surgery. Kara shares sons Frey, six, Helly, four, with fiancé Marius Jenson.
Sharing the news last year, she said: “As a carrier it means that I am at a greater risk of both breast and ovarian cancer. They believe that ovarian cancer begins in the fallopian tubes so by removing them first, you can remove the ovaries later, closer to menopause.”
She added: “I wasn’t an easy decision. But it’s one I am very glad that I made.”
‘I’m on the other side now’
Earlier today, Kara appeared on BBC Breakfast. After discussing her new stage role in The Constant Wife, conversation turned to her health.
Kara told the hosts: “Last year I decided to talk about the BRCA gene. Obviously that was quite daunting. I knew that people who had spoken about it when I was going through my journey, it comforted me, it helped so much, so I wanted to do the same.”
She added: “I am really glad I have. The response was overwhelming. Really the message was, I didn’t think I would take such a dramatic route, I guess. At first I was happy with surveillance. We’re so lucky with these genetic mutations, now we’re getting to know more about personal genetics and surveillance suits a lot of people very well.
“But for me, finding things, having lots of biopsies, different tests all the time, having two young children, I just took the decision that it was the right move for me.”
Issuing a word of warning, she added: “But it doesn’t happen overnight. You’re invited to lots of meetings. You have to think it through, everyone has a different choice to make, depending on their lifestyle and who they are.”
Kara added: “For me, this is right, and I can only speak about it in a kind of positive way, because it has been positive. And I’m on the other side and sort of flying the flag for people to get checked and get to know their bodies and talk more. Because communication is key.”
‘I wish they’d had the same opportunities’
Kara did speak of the family heartache that led to her diagnosis, too. Speaking about the death of Kara’s mum, Sally addressed the “double whammy of worrying about someone and losing someone, and thinking, what are the consequences now for me”.
“I suppose for me it’s been a family trauma without knowing it,” Kara said, before explaining: “My mum lost her mother when she was 13. We lost my auntie at the age of 42, so it’s been this constant generational trauma.
“We all go about our daily lives but we don’t think about how they affect us as we’ve grown up within them.”
She concluded: “I’ve been given an opportunity to do something about it and I wish my mum, my auntie and my grandmother had had the same opportunities.”
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