Cancer survivor Christina Applegate undergoes preventative surgery

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Christina Applegate has revealed that she has removed her ovaries and fallopian tubes to reduce her risk of further cancers. She underwent the surgical procedure two weeks ago, after already having a double mastectomy in 2008 when she was first diagnosed with breast cancer.

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The actress’ cousin tragically passed away from ovarian cancer the same year of her own diagnosis. But through it all, the 45-year-old has still managed to add some humour to her challenging experience. Speaking candidly to Today, Christina expressed the relief she felt immediately after her recent surgery. “That’s how I’ve taken control of everything. It’s a relief. That’s one other thing off the table. Now, let’s hope I don’t get hit by a bus.”

Christina partnered with Dancers Against Cancer to raise awareness

Now her attention is on her daughter Sadie. Christina has the BRCA1 gene mutation, meaning she has a higher risk of developing cancer. Unfortunately, the likelihood of her daughter carrying this gene is also high.

The actress shared emotionally, “The chances that my daughter is BRCA positive are very high. I look at her and 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,” Christina said. “Hopefully by then there will be advancements. It breaks my heart to think that’s a possibility.”

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Since her diagnosis, Christina, who’s also a professional dancer, has been incredibly active in raising awareness for many female-centric cancers. The star has partnered with Dancers Against Cancer, an organization that started the #ImADancerAgainstCancer campaign.

The campaign fundraises to provide financial support and inspiration to individuals in the dance community and their families who have been affected by cancer. Christina shared with People, “I was diagnosed with breast cancer in March of 2008. I was 36-years-old and was not expecting that whatsoever. But because I was really diligent about getting tested, I was able to catch it at a really early stage.”