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EastEnders star shares health update after double mastectomy

00:55

EastEnders star shares health update after double mastectomy

Kara Tointon has spoken out after undergoing a double mastectomy following a genetic test.

The former EastEnders star, who played Dawn Swann from 2005–2009, announced in May 2025 that she underwent the procedure after testing positive for a BRCA gene mutation.

Changes in a BRCA gene can cause a higher risk of several cancers, including breast cancer.

Tointon told Good Morning Britain on Monday (12 January) that having the procedure was a "no-brainer" after her mum died from ovarian cancer in 2018.

"Losing my mum and my auntie... There was this sort of generational trauma within the women in my family without even knowing it," Tointon said.

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