A BURNLEY mother has said that a double mastectomy has finally given her peace of mind after almost 20 years of worry.

Both 41-year-old Julie Best’s grandmother and mother died after being diagnosed with breast cancer when they were 38 and 43 respectively, meaning that Julie had a one-in-three chance of contracting the disease.

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Julie, who lives in Ivan Street with her 11-year-old son, James, and husband, Michael was treated at the Christie in Manchester and had reconstructive surgery.

The care assistant said: “To look at me, you wouldn’t know that I’d had anything done.

“I was only 23 when my mother died and since then I have had to have yearly mammograms to check that I haven’t contracted the same disease.

“It is a terrible thing to deal with because it’s something that’s always there in the back of your mind, a worry that never leaves you.”

Julie was offered a double mastectomy several years ago but refused. However, after becoming a mother and entering her 40s she started to change her mind.

She said: “I have a young son and the thought of not being there to see him grow up was too much to bear. I was in my 40s, getting close to the same age as my mother when she died and I just thought I had to do something about it.”Julie had the surgery as a preventative measure in April and says she has felt 'fantastic' ever since.

“I came round from the surgery and the first thing I did was thank the consultant. I said ‘you have no idea what you have done for me by taking this worry away.’ “I feel like I can just enjoy life now without having this hanging over me. The chances of me getting breast cancer now is in line with the rest of the population.”

This week, Springwatch presenter Michaela Strachan spoke out about her decision to undergo a double mastectomy following a breast cancer diagnosis.

Last year, Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie had a double mastectomy to reduce her chances of getting breast cancer. It has since been revealed that referrals to breast cancer clinics had more than doubled in the UK since Jolie's announcement.