Former Countryfile star Julia Bradbury opens up about her breast cancer journey, new therapy plans, and how filming ITV’s Antarctic series proved she could return to adventures
Julia Bradbury has opened up about her cancer ‘trauma'(Image: INSTAGRAM/JULIABRADBURY)
Julia Bradbury has made a significant life choice following the “trauma” of her cancer diagnosis. The former Countryfile presenter says she refuses to live in fear of the disease returning, but is embarking on a new form of therapy to ensure she has “emotionally handled” the illness.
Julia, 55, had a mastectomy in 2021 after being diagnosed with breast cancer. Since then, she has shifted towards a healthier way of living, embracing the outdoors and even venturing to the Antarctic for her latest television programme, Julia Bradbury’s Wonders of the Frozen South.
When Woman magazine asked whether she ever worries about the cancer coming back, Julia disclosed she “won’t let herself”. However, she is planning to undergo therapy to ensure she isn’t “holding onto something” following her recovery.
She said: “That’s where meditation and emotional work have been crucial. I’m starting a new type of therapy soon, which is about overcoming trauma.
“I want to make sure that I have [emotionally] handled [the cancer] well and I’m not holding onto something.”
Julia was diagnosed with cancer in 2021(Image: Getty)
Julia went on to share that her diagnosis forced her to pause and reassess her life. She added: “Cancer saved my life in so many ways.
“When your health, mobility, movement and capacity to operate on a daily basis is under threat, you’re forced to look at what’s important. I had to think, ‘How do I want to live my life from now on?'” It was then that Julia’s love for the outdoors blossomed, a passion she encourages her son Zephyr and twins Xanthe and Zena, 10, to share.
Julia believes that a walk in the forest is “beneficial in so many ways”.
In an interview with Woman’s Weekly magazine, Julia provided an update on her health after receiving the all-clear from cancer. She stated: “My markers are regular checks, good sleep, low inflammation, feeling strong. I’ve improved my health and fitness, month on month, year on year, since 2021.”
Last year, Julia undertook a 24-day expedition to Antarctica – an adventure that will be featured in the ITV series Julia Bradbury’s Wonders of the Frozen South. She admitted that leaving her family for the longest period since her cancer fight was a tough decision.
Julia has pivoted to a more healthy lifestyle(Image: Getty)
Julia, who has three children with husband Gerrard Cunningham, confessed: “This was a tough journey to leave my family for so long and a really big decision to make this series.During the filming of the show, Julia had a close encounter with a crumbling iceberg. She commented: “They are so unpredictable. We were filming and I was pointing at an iceberg, which had a big crack.
“”I don’t want to live under a cloud of fear. I had to prove to myself that I could still do this, that there was a strength within me and that I was brave enough.
Julia has previously admitted that producing the show was a “pivotal point” in her recovery. Speaking to the Daily Mail, she confessed: “After a breast cancer diagnosis and mastectomy in 2021, I didn’t think I’d ever be brave enough to leave the safety of my home and family to do something like this again.
“I was so weak physically, and so emotionally raw, that the idea of testing myself, of making this kind of TV show and being so far away from my partner and our children seemed impossible.
“To achieve it five years after cancer felt like a pivotal point in my recovery, proof I could return to the adventures that I love.”