Five years after being diagnosed with breast cancer, Julia Bradbury has opened up about the emotional and physical challenges she faced following her mastectomy. The former Countryfile presenter, 56, was diagnosed in 2021 and underwent a mastectomy with immediate breast reconstruction, as well as surgery to remove a 6cm tumour and chemotherapy.
In a recent social media post supporting others who have had a mastectomy, Bradbury revealed there was one thing she couldn't do after the operation that she hadn't considered. In the video, she slowly moved her fingers up a door before raising her arm above her head, demonstrating an exercise she had to do to ensure she could lift her arm and "get things back to normal".
Emotional admission
"Nobody tells you how sad you feel," she continued. "Nobody explains that one day you'll feel fine and the next day you'll be at rock bottom. And nobody explains how hard physically it will be on your body."
She explained that slowly walking your fingers up a wall is a movement known as the spider exercise. "You never really understand how hard a big operation is to recover from," Julia added. "I had no idea I wouldn't be able to lift my arms above my head."
Practical recovery advice
The TV host went on to admit that she never imagined struggling with a simple task like drying her hair. "I couldn't lift my arms above my shoulders, so getting dressed, showering and even sleeping all had to change. And then there was my hair. My hairdryer was too heavy to hold up, so my sister Gina dried it for me."
Sharing advice for others going through a similar experience, Julia explained that wearing tops that fasten at the front can be helpful, as they eliminate the need to lift clothing over your head. She also revealed that using a heart-shaped pillow under her arm at night helped with her recovery, alongside doing the spider exercise. Julia further advised investing in a lightweight hairdryer or asking someone they trust to hold it for them.
