Angelina Jolie Tears Up Recalling Mother's Cancer Battle at TIFF

Hollywood star Angelina Jolie became emotional during a Q&A session at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), sharing a poignant memory of her late mother.

While discussing her new film 'Couture,' Jolie was asked by an audience member who had recently lost a friend to cancer for a message of hope. "I am so sorry for your loss," Jolie began, her voice catching.

She then recalled her mother, Marcheline Bertrand, who battled cancer before her passing in 2007. "I remember my mom was so in a way it made her very quiet and I would ask her questions and she would say, 'I don't know, I don't know,' and then she would say, 'I don't want you to worry about me,'" Jolie shared.

"So my advice to anyone going through this is to help them be seen as who they are, not as what they are going through," she added, emphasizing the importance of seeing individuals beyond their illness. Her mother, Marcheline Bertrand, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 1999 and later breast cancer, passing away in 2007 at the age of 56.

Angelina Jolie underwent a preventative double mastectomy in 2013 due to a high risk of developing breast cancer, a decision influenced by her family history.

In a 2020 essay for The New York Times, she reflected on the profound impact her mother's death had on her, describing it as a sudden removal of a protective blanket.

Her mother, Marcheline Bertrand, passed away in 2007 after a long battle with ovarian and breast cancer.