Author: I felt like a ticking timebomb before operation

“I didn’t take something away; I gave myself life.”

These are the words of Irish author Emma Hannigan, who took the same course of action as Angelina Jolie in 2007 after it was confirmed she was carrying the breast cancer gene.

Speaking on Newstalk yesterday in the aftermath of the Hollywood star’s revelation that she has undergone a double mastectomy, Ms Hannigan said she understood why Ms Jolie felt “empowered” by the decision.