Julia Bradbury was diagnosed with breast cancer back in 2020(Image: ITV)

Countryfile favourite Julia Bradbury has made a deeply personal admission about how her life has changed since surviving breast cancer — revealing that a single moment of fear forced her to completely rethink everything.

Julia had a single mastectomy(Image: Daily Record)

The 55-year-old presenter was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020, during the height of lockdown. In 2021, she underwent a single mastectomy to remove a tumour — a life-altering experience she says made her confront her own mortality.

Since then, Julia has completely cut alcohol out of her life — a move she admits many people find “infuriating”.

Speaking to The Times last year, Julia explained that doctors warned her every drink beyond a strict limit significantly increases the risk of her cancer returning.

“Death looked me in the eyes,” she said.

She went on to address the criticism she receives online for talking openly about her lifestyle changes.

“I get a lot of pushback on social media,” she said. “People tell me they were healthy, went to the gym, got cancer, and now it’s metastasised — so they ask if I’m blaming them. No. I’m only saying what happened to me.

“It was a wake-up call. It made me reassess everything.”

Julia revealed that drinking more than four units of alcohol a week raises her risk of recurrence by 28 per cent — but insists she isn’t preaching.

“It made me prioritise my sleep, emotional health and time with my loved ones,” she said. “But people still find my decision to give up drinking infuriating.”

The health scare didn’t just affect her confidence — it forced her to rethink her finances and her entire outlook on life.

“I am very, very fortunate,” she said. “Overall I’m having a wonderful life. But I’ve had cancer, both my parents have had cancer, I’ve lost people, had money worries, and had to reinvent myself.

“I’m not 100 per cent happy all the time — of course not. But you can get through things. You can overcome hardships. I like to think that’s what I do.”

Now officially in the clear, Julia continues to attend annual check-ups — but says a recent conversation with a doctor changed her perspective yet again.

“I do have a fearless streak,” she admitted. “But my doctor said, ‘You’re running on a credit card. You can push through everything — but is that really the best thing for you?’”

It was a warning that stopped her in her tracks.

“I realised you don’t have to win every race,” she said. “You don’t have to overcome everything. I don’t want to max out the credit card anymore.”

Julia insists she wasn’t close to death — but the brush with cancer left a permanent mark.

“I wasn’t dying, but death looked me in the eyes,” she repeated. “So now I focus on my health more than ever. I don’t drink, I eat well, and I exercise every day.

“When I came home after my mastectomy, I promised myself I’d spend time outside every single day — whatever the weather.”

Most precious of all is time with her children: 13-year-old son Zephyr and 10-year-old twins Xanthe and Zena.

“I absolutely revel in being present with them,” she said. “Not big things — just being there, doing nourishing little moments together. That’s what really matters.”

Source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/