Julia Bradbury has revealed she has given up alcohol as part of a new approach to life, a year after being diagnosed with breast cancer. The Countryfile presenter, 52, was diagnosed in September 2021 and underwent a mastectomy the following month.
Speaking to woman&home magazine, Bradbury said she is now 'six months out the other side' of her cancer journey, during which she had a 6cm tumour, two lymph glands and her left breast removed. She explained that her decision to stop drinking was driven by the increased risk of recurrence: 'If I drink one unit of alcohol a day, my risk of recurrence is between 5% and 6% across my lifetime.'
Bradbury, who has three children, admitted she had not been kind to her body in the past. 'Historically, I haven't been kind to my body or my gut. I had a reputation for drinking everybody else under the table,' she said. Her outlook on life has also shifted, with her mantra becoming 'be grateful for what you do have, not what you don't have'.
The TV star discussed the physical changes following her mastectomy, describing a 'mozzarella-cheese effect' around her implant due to thin skin. She has decided against further surgery to correct the appearance, stating: 'It would purely be for aesthetics. In your 50s and 60s, femininity is still part of your identity, but it's not the be-all and end-all.'
Bradbury discovered a lump in her breast in 2020, which was initially found to be benign. However, a follow-up mammogram detected a small shadow, and a private biopsy confirmed cancer. She described telling her children as 'the hardest thing you'll ever have to do in your life'.
