Kyle Richards' close friend Morgan Wade has revealed she is 'still coming to terms with' her body after undergoing a preventive double mastectomy four weeks ago.
The 29-year-old singer, who underwent the operation after testing positive for a gene mutation that puts her at a higher risk of developing breast cancer, said People she was adjusting to “how hard it is” to look at her new bust.
She underwent the four-hour surgery on November 18 to reconstruct her breasts. Her new bust has no nipples, but she has the option to have 3D nipples placed on her implants or tattoos.
She said: 'Everything was gone. That was probably the weirdest part for me. I didn't think I would care, but then when you look at yourself in the mirror, it was just a lot to take in. I'm still processing how different my body looks in that regard.
'As difficult as it is for me to look in the mirror now… [the scars will] heal and you will be fine. If you had asked me a day after I did this, I would have said, “Fuck all of you.” Why the hell did I do this?' But now it has helped me see things very differently.'
Kyle Richards' close friend Morgan Wade has revealed she is 'still processing' her body after undergoing a preventive double mastectomy four weeks ago
The 29-year-old singer, who underwent the surgery after testing positive for a gene mutation that puts her at higher risk of developing breast cancer, told People she was adjusting to “how hard it is” to move into her new bust to watch (pictured with Richards in September 2022)
'I would rather have done all this and never known whether I would get breast cancer or not. I would have preferred to do this and have that peace of mind. Life is short, life is precious, and I am grateful for the advances in knowing that we have the knowledge to take care of these things.
The star said of the surgery: 'I haven't really processed it. But the night before I started to get a little worried about it, and I was like, “I don't know if I want to do this.” I knew I had to do it, but there's always a little bit of fear in the back of your mind.
Wade revealed that it was Richards who helped connect her with the nonprofit Mission Plasticos, which provides reconstructive surgery to people who are uninsured or underinsured. It is estimated that an operation like Wade's would cost about $100,000.
Earlier this year, Richards' rumored lover Wade spoke out about her decision to undergo the surgery, saying she was initially reluctant to undergo the test.
“I thought, 'I really don't want to.' I complained. I thought, 'I don't have time.'
But it turned out there were no needles involved, she just had to spit into a tube.
Morgan's family has a history of cancer. Her mother, Robin Fonville, 45, underwent a double mastectomy when she tested positive for the RAD51D gene mutation.
Robin encouraged The Night singer to get tested after a cousin tested positive.
She underwent the four-hour surgery on November 18 to reconstruct her breasts – pictured just before the operation
She said: 'As hard as it is for me to look in the mirror right now… [the scars will] heal and you will be fine.
The RAD51D gene “normally helps prevent cancer,” according to the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. 'A mutation in this gene causes it to no longer work as it should.'
The Around the World tour schedule has her performing until the end of October, so Morgan has decided to have her surgery in November.
Morgan has faced some backlash for what some consider a radical decision.
“People say, 'What if you never get cancer?'” she explained.
'I thought, “Well, I won't know because I'm going to do the procedure and then not worry about it.” If you have the ability to prevent something, prevent it. That's the choice I want to make.'
Now that she knows about her own risk, Morgan wants to help others feel comfortable learning about their own risk.
'I've met so many people and they're like, 'My mom had breast cancer,' and now they're going to get tested and [are] discovering, “Oh my god, I got it.” They just don't know how accessible this stuff is.”
“I've had so many wonderful people who have gone through this process or gotten tested to find out they have the gene and are grateful for that knowledge.”
Those dating rumors reached an all-time high in August after Kyle joined Morgan that month in her music video for her single Fall In Love With Me, which saw the two women pining for each other and climaxing with a passionate kiss between the two.
Richards, 54, recently opened up about her relationship with Wade on Wednesday's episode of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
Although the couple has insisted several times that there is nothing romantic going on between them since her split from husband Mauricio Umansky earlier this year, the reality star admitted that their friendship is different from her others.
“My relationship with Morgan is very different from my relationship with my other friends because she teases me all the time,” the mother of four told viewers.
She continued, “I know that when Morgan and I hang out [that] I'm going to get roasted.'
Despite previously denying a romantic relationship, Morgan and Kyle have been romantically linked since the reality star announced her split from Mauricio in July after 27 years together.
Those dating rumors reached an all-time high in August after Kyle joined Morgan that month in her music video for her single Fall In Love With Me, which saw the two women pining for each other and climaxing with a passionate kiss between the two.
However, the musician previously admitted that she and Kyle were just “trying to troll the trolls” with the video.