The 54-year-old revealed that she’s given up one beverage following her cancer diagnosis – but some people find her choice ‘infuriating’
Countryfile star Julia Bradbury has shared the key lifestyle change she’s made to reduce her risk of cancer returning. The 54-year-old presenter underwent a single mastectomy in 2021 after facing a breast cancer diagnosis during lockdown.
After that, she gave up alcohol entirely – though, some people find her choice ‘infuriating’. Speaking with the Times, she said: “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 its 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.”
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Julia went on to describe the diagnosis as a ‘wake-up call’, explaining that it encouraged her to put a greater focus on her wellbeing. Beyond prioritising sleep and mental health, she claimed that drinking more than four units of alcohol per week could spike her risk of reoccurrence by 28%.
Despite this, Julia expressed that she has a lot of gratitude for her ‘wonderful life’, SurreyLive reports. In an Instagram post earlier this week, she wrote: “Getting diagnosed with cancer is the wake up call nobody wants, but it has changed my world.
“It made me re-evaluate my health, change my habits, and I’m looking forward to exploring my emotional fitness in 2025. Every day is a gift, I’m learning more about the body and mind every day and I’m grateful for every ounce of love and life.”
In a separate post, she added: “Cancer taught me that it is a true luxury to be able to spend time thinking things through, having the time and motivation to keep learning, sleeping deeply, loving your friends and family and spending time in nature.
“The person you want to be is already inside you otherwise you wouldn’t be that person. Who do you want to be?” Julia has had a diverse career, starting as GMTV’s Los Angeles correspondent, moving on to prime time consumer shows like Watchdog, then exploring the great outdoors with Countryfile and a series of walking shows.