Angelina Jolie shocked the world earlier this year by revealing how she underwent preventive double mastectomy or removal of both of her breasts in a bid to avoid the ovarian cancer.

The person responsible for her decision, Dr. Kristi Funk has now spoken up about the "The Wanted" star's decision and revealed how she created pioneering pre and post-surgery procedures to make the decision easier for Jolie.

"Extra's" Mario Lopez interviewed the renowned breast cancer surgeon Dr. Kristi Funk who also treated Sheryl Crow earlier.

"She didn't have [the double mastectomy] right away, but probably knew with her family history that it was a choice she would eventually make," she said.

Angelina made her decision to undergo the daring surgery after she was found to be carrying the BRCA1 cancer gene, which put her at a 50 per cent risk of ovarian cancer. Joile had earlier lost both her mother and aunt to the same deadly cancer and didn't want to put her life in danger. And removing her breasts was a very small price she paid to spend her life without the fear of cancer at the back of her mind.

"I delved into a slightly more creative mode than maybe I'd ever gone into in my life, knowing that it would be potentially publicly scrutinised. I developed some really new and beautiful changes to both the preparation for surgery and the actual operation," the doctor revealed in the interview.

For the not-so brave hearts as Angelina Jolie herself, the celebrity doctor listed other options than getting the breasts removed if you are found to carry the cancer gene. "High risk surveillance. MRI's, mammograms, ultra sounds...Combine it throughout the year so that at any given month or two, something is happening to look at your breasts."

Dr. Funk is a huge Angelina Jolie fan and believes that the "Salt" actress' decision has highlighted the issue and would help save lives of millions of women worldwide.

The doctor adds, "She is just philanthropic at the core and she could never keep it a secret and be who she is. She is someone who wants to save lives and she is doing that every day."

Breast Cancer Cancer