Brad Pitt: 'Angelina's surgery decision is heroic'

Brad Pitt has heaped praise on his fiancee Angelina Jolie's "heroic" decision to undergo a double mastectomy earlier this year (13).

On Tuesday (14May13), the Oscar-winning actress revealed to the world that she had both of her breasts removed in February (13) as a preventative measure after doctors warned her she carries the "faulty" gene BRCA1.

Before the operation Jolie had an 87 per cent risk of contracting breast cancer, and in her article for the New York Times she revealed Pitt's support had been integral in getting their family through such a tough time.

Now the Fight Club star himself has released a statement thanking his partner for going ahead with surgery for the sake of their six children.

He tells the London Evening Standard, "Having witnessed this decision firsthand, I find Angie's choice, as well as so many others like her, absolutely heroic. I thank our medical team for their care and focus. All I want... is for her to have a long and healthy life, with myself and our children. This is a happy day for our family."

Jolie's mother, Marcheline Bertrand, died in 2007 at the age of 56 after battling ovarian cancer for almost a decade.