Applegate is now healthy, laughing

Christina Applegate is taking the long view of her battle with breast cancer -- the really long view.

Speaking on ABC News’ “Good Morning America” in her first interview since announcing her diagnosis earlier this month, the “Samantha Who?” star said she had a double mastectomy three weeks ago. She’ll undergo reconstructive surgery over the next eight months.

“I’m going to have cute boobs ‘til I’m 90, so there’s that,” she joked in the interview, which aired Tuesday.

The 36-year-old actress elected to remove both breasts even though the disease was contained in one breast. She said she is now cancer-free.

Applegate called the operation a logical decision. Her mother battled breast cancer, and she tested positive for the BRCA1 gene mutation linked to breast and ovarian cancer.

“I just wanted to kind of be rid of it,” she said. “So this was the choice I made and it was a tough one.”

The Emmy-nominated star has kept her sense of humor.

“I’ve laughed so much in the last three weeks,” she said. “I love living, and I really love my life, and I knew that from this moment on it was only going to be good that was going to be coming. Yeah, I’ll face challenges, but you can’t get any darker than where I’ve been. So knowing that in my soul gave me the strength to just say, ‘I have to get out there and make this a positive.’ ”