Samantha Harris, formerly of 'Entertainment Tonight,' has breast cancer

Former "Entertainment Tonight" correspondent and "Dancing With the Stars" co-host Samantha Harris says she will undergo a double mastectomy after being diagnosed with breast cancer.

Harris, 40, had detected a lump in her right breast last fall, she told People magazine Wednesday. Though a mammogram done shortly before had been clean, she remained troubled and visited a specialist months later, she said. A needle biopsy and a lumpectomy detected breast cancer. The procedure is scheduled for later this month.

She made the decision, Harris told "ET" Wednesday, after consulting with three specialists. "I was sick of feeling the way that I did in the days after the diagnosis," she said. "I knew I needed to take control."

Harris and Michael Hess, her husband since 2005, have two daughters, Josselyn, 6, and Hillary, 3. "All they're concerned about is to have mommy active, [to] be able to hold them, hug them, kiss them, be there, be present for everything," she told "ET."