Countryfile presenter Julia Bradbury has disclosed a significant dietary change she's made to help prevent cancer from returning. The 55-year-old television personality was diagnosed with breast cancer during lockdown.
She underwent a single mastectomy in 2021 to remove a tumour.
After her treatment, Julia has completely cut alcohol from her life, a choice that she admits some people find "infuriating". Speaking to The Times last year, she revealed that doctors warned her that every drink above a certain limit substantially increases the risk of the cancer returning, admitting that "death looked me in the eyes".
She told the publication: "I get a lot of pushback on social media about this. People go, 'I was healthy, I go to the gym, I got cancer, and now it's metastasised, and I've got secondary cancer. So, are you blaming me for my illness? No. All I'm saying is, this is what I went through. It was a wake-up call, and it made me look at life differently.
"It made me prioritise my sleep, emotional health, and gave me more time for my loved ones. If I drink more than four units of alcohol a week, my risk of recurrence goes up by 28 per cent. But people find me giving up drinking infuriating", reports Gloucestershire Live.
Her health crisis affected both her confidence and her finances, forcing her to re-evaluate her entire outlook on life. She added: "I am very, very fortunate, and overall, I'm having a wonderful life.
"But I've had a cancer diagnosis, both my parents have had cancer, I've lost people along the way, I've had financial worries, I've had to reinvent myself, and I'm not 100 per cent happy all of the time - of course not.
"But you can get through things, you can overcome hardships, and I like to think that's what I do."
The broadcaster has also been open about questioning whether her demanding schedule is sustainable moving forward.
Julia went on: "I do have a fearless streak. But recently I've had a doctor reframe that for me. He said, 'This drive that you have - you're running on a credit card. You can push through all sorts of things. But is that the best thing for you?'".
"I realised you don't have to win every race. You don't have to overcome everything. I don't want to max out the credit card."
Thankfully, Julia received the all-clear but continues to attend regular medical check-ups each year.
She disclosed: "I wasn't close to death, but death looked me in the eyes. So I am more focused on my health than I ever have been. I don't drink, I eat a healthy diet, and exercise every day.
"When I came home from my mastectomy, I promised I would spend time outside every day, and that is my mantra, however poor it might be in this winter."
The television presenter now dedicates as much valuable time as possible to her three children: 13-year-old Zephyr and her 10-year-old twin daughters Xanthe and Zena. She eagerly revealed: "I really revel in being present with them and doing things with them that are nourishing and enriching - not big things, just being with them and spending time with them is really, really important."
The broadcaster, whose career has spanned numerous positions from GMTV's Los Angeles correspondent to prime-time shows, such as Watchdog, admitted that she had previously found it difficult to achieve balance in her life before her battle with cancer.