Sharon Osbourne undergoes double mastectomy

WENN, Sunday, November 4, 2012, 4:36pm (PST)

WENN

• Sharon Osbourne has undergone a preventive double mastectomy over fears she could develop breast cancer.

  RELATED: Sharon Osbourne breaks down over son's MS diagnosis

  Ozzy Osbourne's wife, who battled colon cancer in the early 2000s, was horrified to discover she has a genetic mutation which raises her chances of developing the disease, so she decided to have surgery.

  RELATED: Stars and surprising medical revelations

  She tells Britain's Hello! magazine, "As soon as I found out I had the breast cancer gene, I thought: 'The odds are not in my favour'. I've had cancer before and I didn't want to live under that cloud: I decided to just take everything off, and had a double mastectomy."

  RELATED: Celebrity breast cancer survivors

  The reality TV star, whose son Jack became a first-time dad to daughter Pearl earlier this year, says she had no doubts about undergoing the operation - which lasted 13 hours - as she wants to live a long and happy life with her family.

  She adds, "For me, it wasn't a big decision, it was a no-brainer. I didn't want to live the rest of my life with that shadow hanging over me. I want to be around for a long time and be a grandmother to Pearl.

  I didn't even think of my breasts in a nostalgic way, I just wanted to be able to live my life without that fear all the time. It's not 'pity me', it's a decision I made that's got rid of this weight that I was carrying around."