Sharon Osbourne: Why I Had Double Mastectomy

Sharon Osbourne has spoken further about her decision to opt for a double mastectomy to ensure she does not develop breast cancer.

The former X Factor judge had already revealed the news to Hello! magazine, explaining that she had been told she carries a gene that increases the risk of developing the disease.

And speaking on her US daytime show The Talk, she said that earlier this year she and her husband Ozzy had genome tests which identify changes in chromosomes, genes or proteins.

She joked that the Black Sabbath singer discovered he was allergic to alcohol and coffee while she had "a whole shopping list" of issues.

"One of them which I already kind of suspected because it's been in my family was that I had the breast cancer gene and of course we knew I had the colon cancer gene," said the 60-year-old who battled colon cancer a decade ago.

"When this happened to my breast, my doctor said ... why don't we go in ... do it all at once? Save ourselves any worry.'

"And I said 'Put it there. We're going to do it.'"

Osbourne said it was her own decision. She had not been diagnosed with breast cancer but she had the gene and one of her breasts was already in a "dreadful state" because of her implants.

She added that she had not wanted to go public with the news of her operation at the time because "why worry people and make a fuss unnecessarily".

Earlier, she had told Hello! she underwent a 13-hour operation, but said even so it was not a difficult decision.

"For me, it wasn't a big decision. It was a no-brainer. I didn't want to live the rest of my life with that shadow hanging over me.

"I've had cancer before and I didn't want to live under that cloud. I decided to just take everything off, and had a double mastectomy."

Prior to the treatment she also learned that her breast implants had leaked into her stomach wall, which has now put her off cosmetic surgery for good - and she advised others to avoid implants.

Sharon and Ozzy along with two of their children Jack and Kelly became rock's most famous clan thanks to reality TV show The Osbournes a decade ago.

Jack Osbourne, 26, was recently diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.