Brad Pitt did everything he could to keep Angelina Jolie's double mastectomy a secret.

The 49-year-old actor was desperate to ''protect'' his 37-year-old fiancee when she chose to undergo the preventative surgery earlier this year after discovering she had an 87 per cent chance of developing breast cancer because she carries the BRCA1 gene mutation.

A source told People magazine: ''Brad did everything he could to keep things secret and protect Angie. They really wanted Angie to be able to recover and rest before they shared the story.''

After making a full recovery, Angelina recently opened up about her surgery in order to inspire other women.

Meanwhile, 'World War Z' producer Jeremy Kleiner revealed the couple - who have children Maddox, 11, Pax, nine, Zahara, eight, Shiloh, six, and four-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne together - are more in love than ever.

He said: ''They are very loving and inspiring to each other, exchanging ideas. On-set, he would light up when his family showed up. It's just a very cool thing to see.''