United Kingdom, June 16 -- Kara Tointon felt "very happy" and "relieved" after undergoing a preventative double mastectomy last year.

The Sweeney actress, 41, opted to undergo the breast surgery - as well as having her fallopian tubes removed - after discovering she carries the BRCA1 gene mutation, which significantly increases the risk of breast and ovarian cancer.

Kara has now opened up about her experience and insisted she has no regrets over her decision. In a piece for The Sunday Times newspaper, she wrote: "Last year I made one of the biggest decisions of my life. I chose to have a double mastectomy and have my fallopian tubes removed. I didn't have cancer, but my decision was driven by it."

Kara revealed she and her sister were ...