Marie-France van Heel, 40, decided to have the operation after tests showed she could be at risk from the disease.
The wife of the former health secretary has the breast cancer gene fault known as BRCA1, giving her a 55–85 per cent chance of developing the illness.
Several members of her family have suffered from cancer.
He sister Claire died three years ago from breast cancer aged just 39 and her elder sister and mother have been treated for the disease.
Since her sister's death, Miss van Heel, known as Frankie, has taken part in Cancer Research UK's Race for Life to raise funds for the charity.
Ahead of a charity race in Leigh last year she said: “The chances of cancer affecting me are increased because members of my family have been affected and that makes me more aware of how important it is to keep checking and monitoring your own personal health.”
The couple, who met at university, have three young children and live in Golborne.
Mr Burnham, also 40, was understood to be at his wife's bedside at a north east hospital as she recovers from the operation.
He is currently third favourite in the leadership race to succeed Gordon Brown but is yet to secure the backing of enough MPs to stand in the official contest.
His challengers are David and Ed Miliband, Ed Balls, left-winger John McDonnell and Diane Abbott.
Last month, he promised to put an end to stage managed politics run by ‘elites’ and pledged to create a ‘People’s Party’.
He also spoke of how his working-class upbringing in the north sets him apart from the other main contenders.
As a former health secretary, Mr Burnham is aware of the prevalence of breast cancer in the UK.
It is the most common cancer with more than 45,000 women a year diagnosed and 12,000 deaths. Tweet
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M y best wishes go to her and her family.....And wish her a speedy recovery.
Could that same gene fault be caused from the gene being damaged from medication?
Is it possible someone's mother or father could have taken a medication many years ago that could have caused a gene fault in the babies and their babies after them?
I can understand that a gene fault could possibly go back hundreds of years but you don't here much of modern living (ingesting) being a cause of more recent gene problems.
Why is this news? Why can’t this lady be afforded the privacy the rest of us scream about being entitled to? To be honest I’m disgusted by this intrusion.
Best wishes to Andy and his wife and hopefully a speedy recovery
There are loads of women who go through this procedure, why highlight the wife of an MP? It's a terrible thing but what about all the women who don't have the support she has?
Brave lady - best wishes for a speedy recovery