Angelina Jolie's Kids Were 'Supportive' During Double Mastectomy: Report

Angelina Jolie’s children are reportedly very supportive of their Oscar-winning mother's choice to have a double mastectomy to help drastically decrease her chance of getting breast cancer.

In a frank and honest New York Times op-ed piece, the 37-year-old wrote how she chose to have a preventive double mastectomy, and subsequent breast reconstruction, after she finding out that she had a “faulty” BRCA1 gene, which would give her an 87 percent chance of getting breast cancer.

"This has been a private struggle for her. She put everything else on hold to deal with it," a source told Us Weekly about Jolie. The star underwent several procedures, beginning in February, before having her final operation on April 27.

The star wasn’t sure if she wanted to share the news with the public at first.

"She debated coming out about it, but thought about it a lot and decided she could help others by sharing," the source said. "It was a very hard decision, but she did it, and is glad she did it. She kept this very quiet until she was ready so she could go through it in peace."

Though the news about Jolie’s medical choice came as a shock to most, she discussed the decision with fiancé Brad Pitt and their six children, who stood behind her. "She discussed it with Brad and a few people in her life but very very few knew. She wanted to wait until it was over," the insider said.

Pitt, who publicly supported his fiancé on Wednesday in a statement, "thinks she's incredible and loves her more than ever," the source said. Their children, Maddox, 11, Pax, 9, Zahara, 8, Shiloh, 6, and twins Knox and Vivienne, 4, have been helping with their mother’s recovery. "The kids were wonderfully supportive," the source added. "Everything she does she does to be there for them."