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Angelina Jolie's breast cancer surgeon, Dr. Kristi Funk, said the actress' decision to call her double mastectomy scars a "choice" "reveals the full circle of healing most people never see"
Jolie opened up about her scars in a recent interview with French Inter ahead of the upcoming release of her film Couture
Jolie plays a character diagnosed with breast cancer in her upcoming film, Couture
Angelina Jolie's breast cancer surgeon Dr. Kristi Funk is applauding the actress' recent statement, in which she called her double mastectomy scars "a choice."
Funk, who performed the surgery on Jolie, shared anInstagrampost reacting to Jolie's recent interview with the French media outletFrench Inter, previously covered byPEOPLE.
"My scars are a choice I made to stay here as long as I could with my children," Jolie told the outlet.
"I was her surgeon. I made those scars," Funk began the caption of her Instagram post, shared on Feb. 13.
After sharing Jolie's full quote, Funk continued, "Hearing her now call them a 'Choice' — because they mean Life — reveals the full circle of healing most people never see. When I first met Angie, she made a brave, deeply personal decision — one that would forever change her body, but also give her a near-guarantee of a breast cancer–free life."The doctor added, "Scars are not disfigurements — they are choices to survive, made visible," and that they "tell stories of courage, love, and second chances."She then invited Instagram users to share their scar stories in the comment section.
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"You were my doctor that I sought out for a second opinion and I remember you had just left surgery and you were sitting in the hospital and took my video call," one Instagram user wrote. "This was six years ago. I was so grateful for you then and I remain eternally grateful for you now. You are such an incredible and caring doctor 🩷."
In her interview with French Inter, Jolie said she has "always been someone more interested in the scars and the life that people carry."
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"I'm not drawn to some perfect idea of a life that has no scars. So no, I think, hey, you know, I see my scars are a choice I made to do what I could do to stay here as long as I could with my children," the Oscar winner explained.
TheCouturestar continued, "I love my scars because of that, you know, and I'm grateful that I had the opportunity to have the choice to do something proactive about my health. I lost my mom when I was young, and I'm raising my children without a grandmother."
Jolie's mother, actress Marcheline Bertrand,died at age 56in 2007 after being diagnosed with cancer. In a May 2013New York Timesop-edtitled "My Medical Choice," Jolie wrote that doctors told her that tests found she had the "faulty gene," BRCA1, which significantly increased her risk of breast cancer.
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In her upcoming film,Couture, which takes place at Paris Fashion Week, Jolie plays a filmmaker going through a divorce who is diagnosed with breast cancer. She speaks both English and French in the film, as seen in thefirst footagethat dropped on Jan. 6.
The film initially premiered at the 2025Toronto International Film Festivalin September.
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