The Hollywood actress, who had a preventative operation last week (ends22Mar15) in a bid to eliminate a cancer risk, came out top of a new poll naming women's rights champions.

Jolie took pole position in the survey by fashion house Rose & Willard for her work with the United Nations (U.N.) and her campaigns to end sexual assaults on women in war zones.

She saw off competition from Harry Potter actress Emma Watson, another U.N. ambassador who launched a high-profile pro-feminism drive for the organisation last year (14).

Watson came in second place, while other stars in the top five included fellow actress Jennifer Lawrence and renowned feminist author Germaine Greer.

Heidy Rehman, founder of Roseandwillard.com, says, "We are driven by the empowerment of women and celebration of their femininity, which Angelina Jolie embodies perfectly. The poll shows that this is the brand of feminism currently favoured by the public. Emma Watson is another exciting example of this... her HeForShe campaign fights for society to respect and embrace feminine qualities."