“Inside Edition”’s Alison Hall Says Reporting Olivia Munn’s Breast Cancer Led to Her Own Diagnosis: ‘Truly Miraculous’

• Last year, Olivia Munn revealed she was diagnosed with breast cancer early after using the Breast Cancer Risk Assessment tool

• Inside Edition reporter Alison Hall said covering Munn’s journey inspired her to be proactive about her health and ultimately led to her own breast cancer diagnosis

• She’s now preparing to undergo a double mastectomy and wants to raise awareness in the same way Munn did

Alison Hall didn’t know anything about the Breast Cancer Risk Assessment tool, even after watching her mother’s battle with the disease. It wasn’t even until the Inside Edition reporter, 33, covered actress Olivia Munn’s breast cancer journey that she first heard the term.

In March 2024, Munn revealed that she was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a double mastectomy after her doctor calculated her Breast Cancer Risk Assessment score, which she said “saved my life” by allowing her to catch the disease early.

The Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool (BCRAT), also known as The Gail Model, is a tool used by healthcare professionals to estimate a woman's risk of developing invasive breast cancer within the next five years and within her lifetime (up to age 90), according to the National Cancer Institute.

The assessment, which takes as little as five minutes to complete, uses a woman’s personal information to determine the risk, including age, age at first period, age at the time of the birth of a first child, family history of breast cancer (mothers, sisters, daughters), number of past breast biopsies (whether positive or negative), number of breast biopsies showing a presence of atypical hyperplasia, and race/ethnicity.

Related: Olivia Munn’s Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Score 'Saved My Life' — What to Know About the Tool

After hearing Munn’s shocking story, Hall decided to get assessed herself and document her doctor’s visit for a segment on Inside Edition in hopes of raising awareness. She later learned that her lifetime risk for breast cancer was 36%, similar to Munn’s score of 37%.

"Wow, okay, that feels high," Hall said after hearing the news. But internally, she was flooded with emotions of concern.

“It was surreal,” she tells PEOPLE. “I was trying hard to maintain my composure while I was on camera, but it hit me inside.”

When analyzing the Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Score, women are classified as high risk for developing breast cancer if they have a lifetime risk of 20% or higher. Those women are urged to get annual mammograms and breast MRIs starting at age 30.

Related: Olivia Munn, 43, Reveals She Was Diagnosed with Breast Cancer and Had Double Mastectomy

With her results, Hall started seeing a doctor in April 2024, who recommended she begin routine screenings: mammograms, ultrasounds and MRIs. Mammograms are vital for early detection of breast cancer, which affects one in eight women in the United States.

“Of course, I don't think I or my doctor expected that in the very first year that we started this program of screening that I would be diagnosed,” she says.

However, in October 2024, Hall was diagnosed with breast cancer following her first breast MRI. She was told she had stage zero breast cancer, also known as ductal carcinoma in situ, (DCIS), where the cells that line the milk ducts of the breast have become cancer, but have not spread into surrounding breast tissue.

“Disbelief, shock, and then right away gratitude,” she says of her reaction to the diagnosis.

“It really felt just remarkable that if I hadn't done this story on Olivia Munn's breast cancer and learned about this test, I would not have caught this cancer this early. It could have been at least another seven years before I was screened in this way,” she continues. “I just felt like this was a gift and that it was just truly miraculous.”

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Following her diagnosis — and tons of research — Hall says she had a “gut feeling” that she needed to get a double mastectomy, which would resolve her current cancer and dramatically reduce the risk of any future diagnoses. She believes the surgery will be a way to “take some power back.”

“In the first few weeks of being diagnosed with cancer, you really lose a sense of control over your body and over your life,” she admits. “So for me, doing the double mastectomy feels like the right decision and I think will provide me and my family with peace of mind knowing that I won't have to go through what my mom went through.”

Hall’s double mastectomy is currently scheduled for Monday, Jan. 13.

“Of course, I'm a little nervous, but I also trust my doctors implicitly and I just have an incredible support system,” she boasts. “And sharing my story this week has been so empowering and the outpouring of love and support that I've received has been so comforting.”

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Ahead of her surgery, Hall received a heartfelt message from Munn, which she called an “incredibly full-circle” moment in her journey.

“I’m so happy you took the risk assessment test and are now on a path to survival,” Munn said in a statement to CBS Mornings. “You have faced this diagnosis with such determination and bravery and by telling your story, you are creating a ripple effect of hope and saving lives. I hope you remember that you are never alone in this fight. I’m wishing you strength every step of the way.”

Hall tells PEOPLE that Munn has been on her mind a lot recently and she’s extremely grateful for the actress reaching out. “To hear from her with those words of encouragement and strength, it was just so, so meaningful to me,” she says. “And I'll never forget her words.”

After seeing the impact that Munn sharing her breast cancer journey had on her, Hall says it’s one of the main reasons she’s sharing her story publicly now.

“I believe that there is just such great power in storytelling,” she says.

“I wanted to get the word out as soon as possible so that I could perhaps help someone else as soon as possible,” Hall adds. “The longer that I waited, that could mean more months for somebody not taking this test, not getting a mammogram. So it felt really important for me to do.” 

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