Sharon Osbourne's 'Double Mastectomy a No-Brainer'
Sharon Osbourne is not known for being shy about anything, but the popular talk-show host has recently opened up about having a double mastectomy, which she called a "no-brainer." The icon had her surgery last summer, but has kept mum about it until now.
Osbourne had genetic testing done that showed she was a carrier for a gene fault that tends to be associated with an increased risk of breast cancer. With her doctor's approval, Osbourne scheduled the radical procedure.
"I've had cancer before and I didn't want to live under that cloud," she explained to Hello! Magazine. "I just decided to take everything off and had a double mastectomy. For me, it wasn't a big decision; it was a no-brainer. I didn't want to live the rest of my life with that shadow hanging over me."
Osbourne famously dealt with, and won her battle against, colon cancer. She has since been an outspoken advocate for those with the disease and donates a lot of her time and money to the Sharon Osbourne Colon Cancer Program at Cedars Sinai Hospital.
One other factor leading to Osbourne's double mastectomy was the fact that her breast implants had begun leaking into her stomach wall. It was like "having a waterbed on your chest," she said in 2010. She had them removed in 2011 and said that she doesn't think of her breasts in a "nostalgic way."
Osbourne certainly had a lot to gain by having the surgery, though. Her odds of developing breast cancer have been significantly reduced, giving her a much better chance at a healthy future.
"I want to be around for a long time and be a grandmother to Pearl," she added.
And son Jack, who was recently diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, just married Pearl's mother in Hawaii. It was a very happy occasion for the Osbourne clan.
