Julia Bradbury says her cancer diagnosis saved her and she has reassessed everything after being convinced she was living a healthy life

Julia Bradbury has revealed her cancer diagnosis has ‘saved her life’ as she opened up about what she has changed since receiving the devastating news.

The Countryfile presenter, 53, was diagnosed with breast cancer in September 2021 and underwent a mastectomy to have her 6cm tumour removed.

Reflecting what life choices she altered after being diagnosed, she told the Sun that she immediately stopped drinking alcohol and prioritised having more sleep.

She said: ‘The reason I say cancer saved my life is because it was a moment and an opportunity for me to completely reassess my own health and my approach to health.

‘And I’m not blaming myself for my cancer and I’m not blaming anybody for their cancer.

‘But what I will say is in my instance, in my situation, I was not, although I thought I was relatively healthy, I wasn’t leading a healthy day by day life.’ 

Julia Bradbury has revealed her cancer diagnosis has ‘saved her life’ as she opened up about what she has changed since receiving the devastating news 

The Countryfile presenter, 53, was diagnosed with breast cancer in September 2021 and underwent a mastectomy to have her 6cm tumour removed (pictured in 2019)

It came after Julia recently broke down into tears as she recalled the heartbreaking moment she informed her husband Gerard Cunningham about her diagnosis.

Appearing on Davina McCall’s Begin Again podcast, Julia spoke about the moment she phoned her partner, whom she has been married to since 2000, to break the devastating news.

Julia said: ‘I told him, and we cried. And I said, “I’ll do whatever I have to do to get through this. I will do whatever it is”.’

Determined to fight, she expressed her readiness to face any challenge that may pop up ahead.

‘If I have to lose a breast, I’ll have to lose my hair. If I have to go, whatever it is I need to do,’ she said. ‘I’m going to do what I need to do to get through this’.

Julia said fighting cancer is not the same for everyone. She said: ‘Every type of cancer is different. Every type of breast cancer is different.

‘You’ll have a friend who’s gone through breast cancer and she and I will sit down and have a story and we’ll have had a different tumour in a different place and it will behave differently.

‘It’s very complicated. And that’s the reason why the war on cancer hasn’t been won yet.’

Reflecting about the moment she was diagnosed, she told the Sun that she immediately stopped drinking alcohol and prioritised having more sleep 

Julia shares her son Zephyr, 13, and her twin girls, Xanthe and Zena, eight with her property developer husband Gerard.  

In 2023, she spoke about her determination to ‘stay alive’ two years on from her breast cancer diagnosis.

The journalist and TV presenter had the tumour, two lymph glands and her left breast removed before having reconstruction surgery.

Julia has since revealed how her diagnosis changed her life, leading her to adopt a much healthier diet and go teetotal as she declares she will do everything possible to see her children grow up.