The Countryfile presenter, 55, underwent a mastectomy in 2021 and says doctors warned her that drinking more than four units a week increases her cancer recurrence risk by 28%
Countryfile presenter Julia Bradbury has revealed a significant dietary adjustment she’s implemented in her battle to keep cancer at bay. The 55-year-old television personality received a breast cancer diagnosis during the pandemic. She had a single mastectomy in 2021 to extract a tumour.
Following her treatment, Julia has eliminated alcohol entirely from her life, a decision that she acknowledges people find “infuriating”. Speaking to The Times last year, she disclosed that medical professionals cautioned her that each alcoholic drink beyond a specific threshold dramatically heightens the chances of her cancer returning, confessing that “death looked me in the eyes”.
She explained to the newspaper: “I get a lot of pushback on social media about this. People go, ‘I was healthy, I go to the gym, I got cancer, and now it’s metastasised, and I’ve got secondary cancer. So, are you blaming me for my illness? No. All I’m saying is, this is what I went through. It was a wake-up call, and it made me look at life differently.
“It made me prioritise my sleep, emotional health, and gave me more time for my loved ones. If I drink more than four units of alcohol a week, my risk of recurrence goes up by 28%. But people find me giving up drinking infuriating.”
Her medical diagnosis affected both her self-assurance and her finances, compelling her to reassess her entire outlook on life. She mused: “I am very, very fortunate, and overall, I’m having a wonderful life.
“But I’ve had a cancer diagnosis, both my parents have had cancer, I’ve lost people along the way, I’ve had financial worries, I’ve had to reinvent myself, and I’m not 100% happy all of the time – of course not.
“But you can get through things, you can overcome hardships, and I like to think that’s what I do.”
The broadcaster has also been candid about questioning whether her relentless schedule is viable going forward, reports the Express.
Julia continued: “I do have a fearless streak. But recently I’ve had a doctor reframe that for me. He said, ‘This drive that you have – you’re running on a credit card. You can push through all sorts of things. But is that the best thing for you?’”.
“I realised you don’t have to win every race. You don’t have to overcome everything. I don’t want to max out the credit card.”
Fortunately, Julia was given the all-clear but still undergoes regular check-ups annually.
She revealed: “I wasn’t close to death, but death looked me in the eyes. So I am more focused on my health than I ever have been. I don’t drink, I eat a healthy diet, and exercise every day.
“When I came home from my mastectomy, I promised I would spend time outside every day, and that is my mantra, however poor it might be in this winter.”
The presenter now devotes as much precious time as she can to her three children: 13-year-old Zephyr and her 10-year-old twin daughters Xanthe and Zena. She enthused: “I really revel in being present with them and doing things with them that are nourishing and enriching – not big things, just being with them and spending time with them is really, really important.”
The presenter, who has held positions ranging from GMTV’s Los Angeles correspondent to prime-time programmes such as Watchdog, confessed that she struggled to find balance in her life prior to her fight against cancer.
