admin
actress’ father Jon Voight. Voight, who reconciled with Jolie after a 10-year feud in 2011, praised his “extraordinary” daughter but was understandably surprised — especially as he had seen Angelina just one day before her announcement in the New York Times.
“My love and admiration for my daughter can’t be explained in words,” the actor told the New York Daily News. “I saw her two days ago with my son Jamie. We all got together for his birthday, with her and Brad Pitt. But I didn’t know. It wasn’t obvious at all.
“I found out on Tuesday morning. I was as surprised as anyone and deeply moved by the way she’s handled this. She’s a very extraordinary person, the way she examined it and what she shared.”
Angelina made the decision to have the surgery after learning she is a carrier of the BRCA1 gene and had an 87 percent chance of contracting breast cancer and a 50 percent risk of getting ovarian cancer.
The “Salt” star continued working throughout three months of procedures and kept them a secret from everyone other than her fiancé Brad, who was seen leaving a Hollywood studio on Tuesday, and their six children.
But Jon (74) says he “absolutely” respects Angelina’s choice to keep her decision from him for that time.
“I completely understand,” he explained. “I want the focus to be on the inspiration.”
Jon revealed he spoke to Angelina on Tuesday and she talked him through what it all means. “She just explained to me and educated me on this stuff,” he said.
Voight fell out with Jolie in 2002 when he accused her of having “serious mental problems”, while Jolie criticised him for having an affair behind her mother’s back.
It was Angelina’s fiance Brad who eventually engineered their reconciliation and acted as a go-between.
Speaking in October 2011 Jon claimed he’d had an emotional epiphany and that he began living for his family after everything changed “in a moment”.
“I suddenly saw things differently and everything shifted. That one moment changed my whole life,” he said. “It gave me back my daughter and my family. Being reunited with my Angie is very precious to me. I adore my grandchildren, they are my great love. It makes me so emotional and grateful.”
Brad’s mother Jane Pitt has also paid tribute to her soon to be daughter-in-law, even though there have long been rumours that relations between herself and Angelina are strained.
In a touching statement, Jane said she is “proud” of the 37-year-old for having the surgery in order to ensure she is alive to watch her children grow up.
“We’re so very proud of Angie, this means so much to out family especially our grandchildren,” said Jane in a statement to People. “We love her dearly”.
Between early February and late April Angelina completed three months of surgical procedures to remove both breasts after being advised she was at a high risk of developing breast cancer.
Having watched her mother die at the age of 56 from ovarian cancer, 10 years after developing the disease, the mother of six was determined to ensure she had the best chance of avoiding the same fate.
Her brother James Haven also made a statement paying tribute to Angelina.
“My sister like our mother always put her children first,” he said. “I am so grateful to be her brother.”
And Angelina’s fiancé Brad praised her as “heroic” for making the decision to have aggressive surgery.
The 49-year-old is delighted Angelina — who he has been in a relationship with since 2005 — has made a full recovery from the operation and is looking forward to living a long, fruitful life with her and their children.
In a statement released to London’s Evening Standard newspaper, he said: “Having witnessed this decision first hand, 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.”
For her part Angelina praised the support her fiancé and children, Maddox (11), Pax (9), Zahara (8), Shiloh (6) and four-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne, gave her during treatment.
“It is reassuring that they see nothing that makes them uncomfortable. They can see my small scars and that’s it.
“Everything else is just Mommy, the same as she always was. And they know that I love them and will do anything to be with them as long as I can.
“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 Centre, 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.” — Daily Mail.
Online Reporter