Singer and breast cancer survivor Melissa Etheridge is calling actress Angelina Jolie’s decision to have a double mastectomy fearful. She made the comments in an interview last week with the Washington Blade.

Jolie underwent a double mastectomy after learning she had the BRCA1 gene. In an opinion piece for the New York Times, Jolie said the gene greatly increased a woman’s risk for breast and ovarian cancers.

In the interview, Etheridge, who has been cancer free for nine years, was asked what she thought about Jolie’s decision. “I have to say I feel a little differently. I have that gene mutation too and it’s not something I would believe in for myself. I wouldn’t call it the brave choice. I actually think it’s the most fearful choice you can make when confronting anything with cancer. My belief is that cancer comes from inside you and so much of it has to do with the environment of your body.”

In an interview with ABC News, Dr; Julie Silver, a Harvard medical school professor said that statement isn’t entirely accurate. “We do know that diet and nutrition play an important role in cancer prevention and survival but they appear to be more helpful for people with non-genetic cancers rather than people who are at high risk for genetic cancers.”

According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), BRCA1 and BRCA2 are genes which suppress tumors. Some mutations of the gene are harmful, resulting in an increased risk for breast cancer for both men and women. Women are also at risk for ovarian cancer.

In the general population, about 12 percent of women, or 120 women out of 100, will develop breast cancer. But among women who have inherited the harmful mutation, 60 percent of women or 600 out of 1,000 will develop breast cancer. The NCI says this means women with the harmful are about five times more likely to develop breast cancer than the general population.

In a later statement to ABC News, Etheridge said she did not have an opinion about what Jolie should have done. Her objection was to the term “brave” which was used to describe Jolie’s decision.

Angelina Jolie’s fiance, actor Brad Pitt, attending a premiere for World War Z on Monday, indicated he had not seen the interview. But in interview with ABC’s Good Morning America Monday morning he said Jolie is “doing great.” He added “She’s certainly shown that if you do your research that you can make a decision that’s the best for you. It doesn’t have to be a scary thing. It can be an empowering thing.”