Sharon Osbourne has double mastectomy

Sharon Osborne has opted for a double mastectomy. Photo / File

Sharon Osbourne has revealed she has undergone a double mastectomy after taking the agonising decision to opt for surgery as a precaution against further cancer.

The former X Factor judge, who has already battled colon cancer a decade ago, made her choice after finding she carries a gene which increased the risk of developing breast cancer.

"As soon as I found out I had the breast cancer gene, I thought, 'the odds are not in my favour'," she tells Hello! magazine.

"I've had cancer before and I didn't want to live under that cloud: I decided to just take everything off, and had a double mastectomy."

It has been a rollercoaster year for Osbourne, 60, who has had highs such as becoming a grandmother for the first time to baby Pearl and the marriage of son Jack.

However, she has also had the upset of Jack's diagnosis with multiple sclerosis at the age of 26.

She underwent a 13-hour operation but refuses to feel sorry for herself.

"For me, it wasn't a big decision, it was a no-brainer," she said.

"I didn't want to live the rest of my life with that shadow hanging over me. I want to be around for a long time and be a grandmother to Pearl.

"I didn't even think of my breasts in a nostalgic way. I just wanted to be able to live my life without that fear all the time.

"It's not 'pity me', it's a decision I made that's got rid of this weight that I was carrying around."

Prior to the surgery, she also learned her breast implants had leaked into her stomach wall, which has now put her off cosmetic surgery.

"Sometimes I'll see a photo and I'll think, 'my face looks plastic'; it can look so unnatural from certain angles. Now I am definitely, definitely done," said Osbourne, who posed for the magazine in a photoshoot in Hawaii.

"You can't buy your youth back, no matter how much money you've got. I won't be going under the knife again."

- PAA