Brad Pitt Praises Angelina Jolie For Choosing Preventive Double Mastectomy

Angelina Jolie, who is 37, yesterday revealed that she had chosen the surgical procedure of a double mastectomy as a preventative measure against cancer. This was after genetic tests revealed she had an 87 per cent chance of developing breast cancer and a 50 per cent chance of ovarian cancer. In her article, she had taken the difficult decision so she could tell her children “they don’t need to fear they will lose me”.

She also wrote in the same article, read here, about her partner, Brad Pitt, who she commended for standing by her through the over three months it took to complete her treatment. He has now come out with his support of her openly. Brad Pitt told the Evening Standard:

“Having witnessed this decision firsthand, I find Angie’s choice, as well as so many others like her, absolutely heroic. I thank our medical team for their care and focus. "All I want for is for her to have a long and healthy life, with myself and our children. This is a happy day for our family.”

It's amazing what we can face up to when we have people we love and who care for us too, batting in our corner. I wish them all the best. And they should do and have their wedding too :)

Non Verbal Ways To Tell If A Guy Actually Loves You

Top Relationship articles

1. How to get your man or boyfriend to love kissing - Do you often ask, how can i get my husband to love kissing and engage in it?

2. 9 Ways to Know When you're in Love - There are some people you meet and you just know they’re a fantasy, and there are those that tug at your heart and you begin to wonder, could they be THE ONE?

Couple Love - Uche Jombo and Kenny Rodriguez

Uche Jombo and Kenny Rodriguez got married in Puerto Rico last year, see wedding pictures HERE. She's also one of the few Nigerian celebrities I've met and taken a picture with :)

Uche has just shared some pictures on Instagram saying she and her husband, Kenny Rodriguez, are in Atlantic City for their first wedding anniversary. I hope they have a fun time, and here's wishing them more happy years together!

You can follow her on Instagram, here, for more pictures, and follow me too, here.

Bola Essien Nelson - Believe the Best of Your Spouse Always

Formerly known as the Desperate Naija Woman, Bola Essien Nelson now prefers to be called Salt, and blogs at the Salt Chronicles. She is the author of three instalments of the Diary of a Desperate Naija Woman (2009, 2010 and 2011). She says of herself, "I am not perfect. I am no saint.I am not Maya Angelou. Nor am I Einstein. I am just a working wife and mom stumbling along, trying to make my way to heaven. I must see God. I just must." Enjoy her marriage avowals;

How did you meet your husband?

I met my mgm (mighty good man) at the University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria where we were both students. I actually remember the first day I saw him because it was in my year 1 and I was with a group of friends and one of them, Rita Ezedunor (nee Ajufo), shouted out loud ‘NEPA!’ as he walked by because he was so fair! I found it quite amusing that they were all going on and on about how tall and handsome he was because I was not impressed at all! I think it was the air of confidence he seemed to have that put me off. To me, he just looked ‘full of him-self’ as most ‘Lagos boys’ did back then.

As these things go, he eventually started ‘toasting’ me and after a long time, I agreed. I remember Rita ‘vexing’ with me for ‘pretending’ not to like him and then going off to date him. The funny thing is that much later I found out that he only asked me out to win a bet! Can you beat that? His friend Kingsley had bet him some money that he would not be able to win me over (I was known to be this ‘prudish, fat, Yoruba girl’). He being a ‘Casanova’ did not understand how anyone could refuse him. So he agreed to the bet for a laugh but as God would have it, he fell for me in the process! Yes, the Ibibio James Bond fell for the Ekiti Little Red Riding Hood. Poetic Justice abi? Lol!

The Best Man Holiday Teaser Trailer

The Best Man was one of the very first African American Romantic Comedies I saw and I fell in love with most of the actors, both male and female. I've since followed their careers in both romcoms, TV series and more serious films. Now, nearly 15 years after that first movies, Taye Diggs, Nia Long, Morris Chestnut, Harold Perrineau, Terrence Howard, Sanaa Lathan, Monica Calhoun, Melissa De Sousa and Regina Hall have just wrapped on shooting the sequel. The synopsis says;

When the college friends finally reunite over the Christmas holidays, they will discover just how easy it is for long-forgotten rivalries and romances to be ignited.

The Best Man Holiday hits theaters on Nov. 15, 2013, just before Thanksgiving in America, and then Christmas of course. That's where the Holiday in the title comes in. I can't wait. See the teaser below.

My Medical Choice - Angelina Jolie On Her Double Mastectomy

I loved Angelina Jolie in Lara Croft, Tomb Raider. Then in Wanted, and her action movies including Mr. and Mrs. Smith. The whole scandal with Brad Pitt kind of muddied the waters, but in my opinion, she pulled through it pretty OK. She has since then gone on to star in, and direct more great movies.

Angelina Jolie is a hands-on philanthropist and humanitarian ambassador, and she's of course a role model for adoption, and I respect her for that. However, after reading this op-ed article she wrote for the New York Times, where she comes out about having both her breasts removed (double mastectomy) to reduce her chances of cancer, my respect for her has doubled if not quadrupled.

I wish her the best with her health and family. Please read and be inspired, and share.

MY MOTHER fought cancer for almost a decade and died at 56. She held out long enough to meet the first of her grandchildren and to hold them in her arms. But my other children will never have the chance to know her and experience how loving and gracious she was.

We often speak of “Mommy’s mommy,” and I find myself trying to explain the illness that took her away from us. They have asked if the same could happen to me. I have always told them not to worry, but the truth is I carry a “faulty” gene, BRCA1, which sharply increases my risk of developing breast cancer and ovarian cancer.

My doctors estimated that I had an 87 percent risk of breast cancer and a 50 percent risk of ovarian cancer, although the risk is different in the case of each woman.

Agbani Darego on the TW Magazine Cover

In the cover story, former Miss World winner, Agbani Darego "opens up like never before, sharing details about her journey from the pageant world to the modeling circuit her current evolution into a fashion entrepreneur with the launch of her eponymous denim line." TW Magazine.

Hafsat Abiola in Chime For Change's Mother's Day Tribute Video

In her second Mother's Day as a mom of Blue Ivy, Beyonce is joining Gucci’s new Mother's Day campaign for Chime for Change in a tribute video celebrating mother's everywhere. Beyonce and other celebs including Cameron Diaz, John Legend, Blake Lively, Olivia Wilde and Ziggy Marley share their favorite things about their own moms, and the unique qualities that makes their moms so special. Hafsat Abiola, who has been featured before by Chime For Change, also pays a touching tribute to her late mom.

The theme for the video is “This Mother’s Day, I chime for you,”.

Facing Facts - 5 Myths About Women and Sex

by Kristen Mark

There is so much misinformation floating around about women's sexual desire. It is built up to be so elusive, it is no wonder women feel restricted in their expression of it.

As a researcher who focuses a lot of my attention on sexual desire, I think it is important to set the record straight when it comes to misinformation regarding women's sexual desire.

Here are five myths decoded based on the science of desire:

Myth One: Women have lower sexual desire than men.

No! Research has found that women and men are equally likely to be the partner less desirous of sex. This hasn't been found in just one study, either. In my own research alone, I've found a non-significant difference between men and women in three different samples of couples.

Myth Two: Sexual response involves desire, then arousal, and then orgasm.

Should I Leave or Should I Stay by Ekene Onu

Sometimes I get the question, should I leave or should I stay. I never give an opinion. I believe you should do as your heart, mind and spirit leads you to. What I do say is this...You can begin the healing process exactly where you are and as you heal and grow, the time will come when you know what to do and find the courage to make whatever choice you choose for yourself.

So how do you begin to heal even in the midst of crappy circumstances? Stop focusing on him(her) and begin to focus on you.

Refresh your spirit by;

1. Reconnecting to yourself. Be quiet. Breathe in and out. Reflect on how God made you and the woman that you still are down deep. I don't care how many mistakes you have made or how imperfect you may seem, you were created by a divine order and not in error. And every day you are given a fresh breath of life. A gift from your creator. Your life is not over. Even if you are constantly in tears...try to remember who you are. And be grateful for that.

2. Reconnect to the people around you. Sometimes we forget that love is all around us. We keep seeking it from one person. And that person may be too damaged to give you what you need. If he cannot or will not love you, it doesn't mean you are unlovable or even unloved. Look around you. Your family, your friends, your children perhaps. Receive their love and give back in return. Cultivate the relationships that feed your soul.