Actress Angelina Jolie says having a double mastectomy last year was "the right choice" for her family. She also wants to tell her story to inspire women across the globe.

The "Maleficent" actress underwent the preventative procedure in February 2013 after being told she had high chance of getting breast cancer, and she spoke out about her decision to help other women in similar positions, reports contactmusic.com.

"I didn't know how it would be received. But I felt that the important thing was that I wanted to speak to other women.

"I wanted to speak to other daughters of women like my mother (who died from ovarian cancer in 2007). I wanted other women to be aware of something that they could take on and protect themselves from," she said.

"I felt that I'd learnt something about my health, and I felt I'd made the right choice for my family and I simply wanted other women to know that there was that choice," she added.

Jolie will undergo further surgery because she is genetically at risk of suffering from ovarian cancer, and she has been inspired by the support from women all over the world.

"It has been lovely and very moving; I've had so much support and kindness ... I'll get advice from all the wonderful people I've been talking to, to get through the next stage," she said.