Five years after her breast cancer diagnosis, Julia Bradbury has opened up about the life-changing health regime she now follows in a determined bid to live “for as long as possible.”
The Countryfile presenter was 51 when doctors found a 6cm tumour in her left breast — a moment that turned her world upside down and forced her to confront her health in a way she never had before.
Speaking about that painful period, Julia admitted: “I was terrified and heartbroken—it was an incredibly emotional time. It must have been devastating for my family too.”
She later underwent a mastectomy to remove the tumour, and although she did not need chemotherapy, the experience pushed her into making major changes to her daily life. Recovery became a turning point, with Julia deciding to completely rethink the way she ate, moved and looked after herself.
“I thought, I need to get stronger for this,” she said. “I knew I had to move and walk as soon as possible after surgery to heal.”
In the years since, Julia has cut out many of the unhealthy habits that once defined her busy filming schedule. She gave up meat and sugar for a time, and while she is now gradually reintroducing meat, she says she is far more careful about what she puts into her body, choosing healthier and more organic food instead of the fast-food staples she once relied on.
Reflecting on her old lifestyle, she said: “I used to eat junk food all the time—cheap sandwiches and bags of sweets. I was consuming sugar all day long, but being naturally slim, I never noticed the warning signs like others might.”
Her new routine is built around exercise, long walks outdoors and proper sleep — all part of a deeply personal mission to stay healthy for herself and for her children, Zephyr, 14, and twins Xanthe and Zena, 11.
Now looking back with painful clarity, Julia has admitted she wishes she had taken her health more seriously much earlier in life, knowing what she knows now.
The TV star has also become a vocal supporter of wider access to polygenic risk score (PRS) and SNP testing on the NHS, after taking a PRS test herself — something she believes may have helped save her life.
Sharing her thoughts on Instagram, Julia said: “When I was diagnosed, it changed my life. But it also made me ask why it happened and what I could do to reduce the risk of it coming back. That’s why I took the PRS test with Professor Gareth Evans at the Manchester Biomedical Research Centre.”
The test looks at variations in DNA to estimate the risk of developing breast cancer — or, in Julia’s case, the chances of it returning. For Julia, it is more than just a medical tool. It is something she believes could help countless women understand their own risk sooner and take action before it is too late.
