Olivia Munn described the ‘shock’ she experienced when she first saw her body after a double mastectomy.
The 43-year-old actress had undergone a lymph node dissection, a nipple reduction procedure and a double mastectomy during her battle with breast cancer, after being diagnosed about a year ago and undergoing all the surgeries in 10 months.
The mother-of-one revealed that ‘nothing’ could have prepared her for ‘what it would look like’ in a new candid interview with Peopleadding that she “absolutely broke down.”
A week after undergoing the double mastectomy, she went for a post-operative check-up. That’s when she saw her body without bandages for the first time at her doctor’s office.
‘It was a shock. It was a shock to my system. I was having such a hard time, I remember just looking in the mirror with him and just having no emotion, just taking in what he was saying,” she shared.
Olivia Munn, 43, described the “shock” she experienced when she first saw her body after a double mastectomy; seen in January 2024
The mother-of-one revealed that ‘nothing’ could have prepared her for ‘what it would look like’ in a new candid interview with People, adding that she was ‘absolutely devastated’
Munn woke up from her 10-hour double mastectomy on May 24, 2023, and opted for expanders instead of immediate reconstructive surgery to give her body time to heal and rest.
Expanders are silicone implants that are placed under the chest wall muscles or tissues to gradually stretch the skin and create space for permanent breast implants.
The Predator star – who shares two-year-old son Malcolm with comedian pal John Mulaney, 41 – said when she saw herself for the first time: ‘I was in shock. It was incredibly difficult.’
“I really tried to be prepared, but the truth is, nothing could prepare me for how I would feel, what it would look like, how I would deal with it emotionally. It was a lot harder than I expected.’
She said even the doctor’s reassurance that the results looked “fantastic” could provide no comfort at the time.
‘The doctor told me how fantastic it looked. Which made it even harder. Because fantastic is great, doesn’t get better than fantastic. So I thought, this isn’t going to get better.’
“When I got home, I undressed and looked in the mirror again, and then I completely broke down,” she added.
After her reconstructive surgery in the fall, Munn has come to terms with the changes in her body.
She also began hormone suppression therapy in November to reduce future risk of cancer, which put her into a medically induced menopause, which caused hot flashes, thinning hair and exhaustion.
‘It was a shock to my system. I was having such a hard time, I remember just looking in the mirror with him [her doctor] and just have no emotion
The actress had undergone a lymph node dissection, a nipple reduction procedure and a double mastectomy during her battle with breast cancer
Olivia’s battle with cancer began last year with a shock diagnosis – just three months after she had a mammogram that indicated she was healthy
“It’s much better, but it’s not the same, and that’s okay. Because I’m here, and I’m extremely happy that I got the chance to fight, she said.
“I was given that opportunity and I know a lot of people in my situation don’t have that opportunity. So I’m extremely grateful.”
Munn revealed that during surgery, doctors discovered a “tangerine-sized” area of ductal carcinoma in situ – a pre-invasive cancer – in her right breast.
“Hearing that news gave me peace of mind that I had made the right decision.”
The star has also come to accept her “battle wounds” – scars and dents from her lymph node surgery – and is now focusing on raising awareness for other women at risk of breast cancer.
Elsewhere in the cover interview, she added that her cancer diagnosis was “much scarier” because she was caring for her son Malcolm.
Malcolm was just a year old when Olivia discovered she had cancer, although she only announced the news in March.
Olivia’s battle with cancer began last year with a shock diagnosis – just three months after she had a mammogram that showed she was healthy.
After her reconstructive surgery in the fall, Munn has come to terms with the changes in her body: “It’s much better, but it’s not the same, and that’s okay. Because I’m here’; seen in 2021
Her surprise was compounded by the fact that she had recently tested negative for a cancer gene mutation.
She “took every test I knew how to do” and as a result, “walked around thinking I didn’t have breast cancer” shortly before she was diagnosed.
When she received the news that she had cancer in both breasts, “she was not someone who was obsessed with death or afraid of it in any way,” but confessed that “having a little baby in the house made everything much more terrifying made.’
Olivia, who was about to shoot a movie at the time, realized that “cancer doesn’t care who you are; it doesn’t matter if you have a baby or if you don’t have time. It’s coming at you, and you have no choice but to face it head-on.’
Although having little Malcolm at home made the initial news scarier, the task of caring for him helped Olivia cope with her treatment.
‘When I’m with him, that’s the only time my brain doesn’t think about the fact that I’m sick. I’m just so happy with him,” she explained.
‘And it puts a lot of things into perspective. Because if my body changes, I’m still his mother. When I have hot flashes, I’m still his mother. If I lose my hair, I’m still his mother. That is really the most important thing for me. I can be here for him.’
She said that when she underwent reconstructive surgery after her double mastectomy, she opted for smaller breasts instead of larger ones.
‘I know a lot of women want to get bigger, but… [I said] go smaller. “It’s so important to say what you want out loud, and don’t stop,” she said. “Even as the anesthesia entered my body, the last thing I said was, ‘Please go smaller.’
She said her cancer diagnosis was “much scarier” because she was caring for her son Malcolm, two, who she shares with boyfriend John Mulaney, 41.
John’s presence also helped her get through her battle with cancer, which “would have felt like climbing an iceberg without him”; pictured at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party last month
John’s presence also helped her soldier through her struggle with her illness, which “without him would have felt like climbing an iceberg.”
She recalled: “I don’t think he had a moment to himself, between being an incredibly hands-on dad and going back and forth to the hospital – taking Malcolm to the park, letting him take a nap, going to Cedars -Drive Sinai, hang up with me, go home, put Malcolm to bed and come back to me. And he did it all with pleasure.’
Olivia also shed light on her decision to remain secret about her battle with cancer until months after her double mastectomy.
“Keeping it private for as long as I did gave me time to fight without any outside noise,” the Oklahoma native said.