Angelina Jolie has given her first full interview since splitting from Brad Pitt, and revealed that she was diagnosed with Bell’s palsy shortly after she filed for divorce.
In a new interview with Vanity Fair, the actress opens up about her health, which saw her develop the condition - a type of facial paralysis which restricts control of facial muscles - in addition to high blood pressure.
“Sometimes women in families put themselves last,” she told the mag. “Until it manifests itself in their own health.
“I actually feel more of a woman because I feel like I’m being smart about my choices, and I’m putting my family first, and I’m in charge of my life and my health. I think that’s what makes a woman complete.”
The ‘Tomb Raider’ star also revealed she’s dealing with the effects of the menopause, including grey hairs, which kicked in when she had her ovaries removed after discovering she carried the BRCA1 gene.
“I can’t tell if it’s menopause or if it’s just been the year I’ve had,” she says.
In 2013, the 42-year-old wrote a column in the New York Times chronicling her decision to have a preventative double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery after cancer took her mother’s life when she was just 56.
Two years after writing that column, a cancer scare led to her also having her ovaries removed.
“I went into the actual surgery happy as they come,” she explained. “I was skipping. Because at that point it was just preventative.”
Elsewhere in the interview, the Oscar-winner also opens up about how her family are coping, 10 months after she split from Brad Pitt, revealing it had been “the hardest time”.
Read Angelina’s full interview with Vanity Fair here.