Angie Proud Of Her Girls

The star has paid tribute to the bravery of daughters Shiloh and Zahara after they underwent surgery recently

- Nici De Wet

She knows all about health issues: a double mastectomy, reconstructive surgery, a hysterectomy, early menopause – not for the fainthearted, any of them.

But any mother will tell you that whatever you’ve been through pales in comparison when one of your kids is sick. And Angelina Jolie is no exception.

She recently endured a double dose of worry when two of her daughters needed to go under the knife – Shiloh (13) for a hip problem and Zahara (15) for an undisclosed condition that required multiple surgeries.

Fortunately, the teens seem to be on the mend. Shiloh has been spotted out and about with various members of her family since her operation, hobbling on crutches but seemingly in good spirits. And Zahara – or Zee, as her family calls her – appears to be back to her smiling, sunshiny self.

Shiloh – who’s getting taller by the day and will outgrow her mom soon the way she’s going – was first seen with her mother and little sister Vivienne (11) on a shopping outing in Los Angeles, and then with Angie, Zahara and Vivienne on a trip to the movies.

Fans of the Jolie-Pitts will have noticed the family’s absence from the public eye in recent months – and now we know why.

Angelina (44) has had more important things to do than take her brood out and about.

The actress, film director and humanitarian made the startling revelation about her daughters’ health concerns in a moving essay in Time magazine in honour of International Women’s Day on 8 March.

“I’ve spent the last two months in and out of surgeries with my eldest daughter, and days ago watched her younger sister go under the knife for a hip surgery,” she wrote.

“They know that I’m writing this because I respect their privacy and we discussed it together and they encouraged me to write.