Hollywood star Angelina Jolie became emotional as she opened up about the devastating battle her late mother, Marcheline Bertrand, fought against cancer before her passing in 2007.
The actress, who spoke during the screening of the movie Couture at Paris Fashion Week, broke down in tears while recalling the painful memories of watching her mother endure years of treatment and suffering.
Bertrand, who died at the age of 56, had been diagnosed with ovarian and breast cancer, conditions that would later influence Jolie’s own health decisions.
One lady disclosed that she had recently lost a friend to cancer during a Q&A session after the screening, and she asked the celebrity for advice for “anyone who recently lost someone” to the illness.
“I’m very sorry for your loss,” Jolie said in reply to the lady, dabbing her eyes while director Alice Winocour and co-star Anyier Anei comforted her.
“I think of my mother,” Jolie said. “She had to give up her dreams of a creative life but she embraced that side of mine.”
The Maleficent star shared that when Bertrand was alive, she would write letters to Jolie’s characters.
“Dear Gia, Dear Lisa Rowe, Dear Lara Croft,” she said, referring to some of her earliest characters, including the Girl, Interrupted role for which she won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar.
“And for the last 16 years, I haven’t had those letters,” said Jolie, who recently divorced actor Brad Pitt.
