Brad Pitt Calls Angelina Jolie ‘Heroic’ for Extreme Health Decision

Actor Brad Pitt praised fiancée Angelina Jolie for her decision to undergo a double mastectomy to prevent cancer.

Pitt told the 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 for is for her to have a long and healthy life, with myself and our children. This is a happy day for our family.”

In an op-ed in the NY Times, Jolie, 37, revealed she had chosen the surgical procedure when genetic tests revealed she had an 87 percent chance of developing breast cancer and a 50 percent chance of ovarian cancer.

Jolie credited Pitt for helping her through the process. She wrote, “I am fortunate to have a partner, Brad Pitt, who is so loving and supportive. So to anyone who has a wife or girlfriend going through this, know that you are a very important part of the transition. Brad was at the Pink Lotus Breast Center, where I was treated, for every minute of the surgeries. We managed to find moments to laugh together. We knew this was the right thing to do for our family and that it would bring us closer. And it has."

Jolie's father, Jon Voight, also released a statement. "I just found out about Angelina this morning. I fully understand her decision. She is a magnificent woman and so very brave. I feel she will be an inspiration to all women who may be vulnerable to similar situations. My love and admiration for her could never be measured in words."

The Oscar-winning actress, whose mother, Marcheline Bertrand, died of ovarian cancer in 2007, said she made this decision for her children -- Maddox, 11, Pax, 9, Zahara, 8, Shiloh, 6, and 4-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne -- so “they don't need to fear they will lose me.”