Angelina Jolie announced that she quietly underwent a preventive double mastectomy. Today, she revealed that she will also have her ovaries removed in a hysterectomy.  Her partner, Brad Pitt, brother, James Haven, and her dad all commented.

On Tuesday, Jolie, 37, revealed that she carries a defective BRCA1 gene that puts her at high risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer. The faulty gene gives a woman up to an 87 percent lifetime risk of developing breast cancer and up to a 54 percent chance of ovarian cancer.

 In an interview with USA Today, Pitt said, "I'm quite emotional about it, of course," She could have stayed absolutely private about it and I don't think anyone would have been none the wiser with such good results."

But Jolie wanted to show the public that the treatment can be empowering for women, rather than stripping them of their sexuality.

"It was really important to her to share the story and that others would understand it doesn't have to be a scary thing. In fact, it can be an empowering thing, and something that makes you stronger and us stronger," Pitt said.

He also said she kept up her commitments after the surgery, including a visit to New York for an event to honor Pakastani teen Malala Yousafzai during the hardest part of her recovery.

"[That event] was during Stage 2 (when the double mastectomy was performed)," Pitt told the magazine. "Literally it was just weeks after she'd had truly major surgery."

All in all, he said, the experience was "an emotional and beautifully inspiring few months. And I'll tell you, it's such a wonderful relief to come through this and not have a specter hanging over our heads. To know that that's not going to be something that's going to affect us. My most proudest thing is our family. This isn't going to get that."

Speaking of family, Angelina Jolie and her brother, James Haven, have always been close-sometimes notoriously so-and he's voiced his support for his sister, too.

"There is no question Angelina makes a difference in our world by bringing awareness to so many causes," he said "Her compassion for humanity alone always makes me honored to call her my sister."

Both siblings watched their beloved mother, Marcheline Bertrand, pass away after her seven-year battle with ovarian cancer. She died at 56 in 2007. The explanation, that Jolie has a "faulty" BRCA1 gene, is much of why Jolie elected to have the procedure performed.

The siblings got together on Sunday to celebrate Haven's 40^th birthday, according to dad James Voight. They're also working on a film project together-- Haven will direct "Court of Conscience," to examine child advocacy laws, and Jolie will  produce the film.

But while they got together, dad James Voight didn't even know yet. He explained, "My love and admiration for my daughter can't be explained in words. I saw her two days ago with my son Jamie. We all got together for his birthday, with her and Brad [Pitt]. But I didn't know. It wasn't obvious at all. I found out [Tuesday] morning. I was as surprised as anyone and deeply moved by the way she's handled this. She's a very extraordinary person, the way she examined it and what she shared."