Angelina Jolie revealed on Tuesday in an op-ed for The New York Times that she had a preventative double mastectomy, and partner Brad Pitt heralded her a hero for it.

Pitt opened up to the The London Evening Standard about the ordeal and what it has meant to their family, which includes six kids. Pitt shared how he saw the toll that this decision took on Jolie, and he applauded her bravery for making this choice.

"Having witnessed this decision firsthand, I find Angie's choice, as well as so many others like her, absolutely heroic," Pitt said.

Pitt also thanked the medical staff that aided Jolie during her surgery and recovery.

Jolie discovered she carried the BRCA1 gene, which increased her risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer. Jolie was told that she had 87 percent chance of being inflicted with the former and 50 percent for the latter. The death of her mother weighed heavily on Jolie.

Her mother, Marcheline Bertrand, died in 2007 at the age of 56 after battling ovarian cancer for seven years. 

"We often speak of 'Mommy's mommy,' and I find myself trying to explain the illness that took her away from us. They have asked if the same could happen to me," Jolie wrote.

The 37-year-old Mr. and Mrs. Smith star had her first surgery on Feb. 2 and completed her final follow-up procedure on Apr. 27.

"All I want for is for her to have a long and healthy life, with myself and our children. This is a happy day for our family," Pitt said.

Jolie thanked Pitt for his support in her op-ed, saying he was a source of strength for her. She leaned on him during and after the surgeries. Jolie called him loving and said that the two still found time to just enjoy each other despite the threat of cancer. Jolie advised other men that they were an important part of a woman's transition that undergoes this procedure.

"Brad was at the Pink Lotus Breast Center [in Beverly Hills], where I was treated, for every minute of the surgeries. We managed to find moments to laugh together," she said. "We knew this was the right thing to do for our family and that it would bring us closer. And it has."

Tags: Angelina Jolie Brad Pitt