SINCE being diagnosed with breast cancer two years ago, TV presenter Julia Bradbury has dramatically overhauled her lifestyle to keep the disease at bay.
The 53-year-old former Countryfile host used to munch on doughnuts at 11am, but now sticks to a strict regime of veggies for breakfast and a minimum 10,000 steps a day.
Former Countryfile host Julia Bradbury explains how she’s dramatically overhauled her life to keep breast cancer at bayCredit: David Venni
Before her diagnosis in September 2021, Julia – who lives with long-term partner Gerard Cunningham – got minimal sleep and snacked whenever she could
She says: “Before my illness, I used to love dunking biscuits in my tea, or having a cheeky mid-morning doughnut.
“I was naturally slim and my sugar-laden diet didn’t seem to have any outward effect on me.
“But I now know it was changing me drastically on the inside.
“In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if I was pre-diabetic given the amount of sugar I consumed.
“I’ve now been eating healthily for two years, but I know that won’t undo 20 years of non-stop sugar consumption.
“Stopping snacking was really hard, I had to really train my taste buds away from sweetness.
“Now, I have a savoury breakfast every morning — steamed vegetables, salmon, egg, avocado are my favourites.”
Before her diagnosis in September 2021, Julia — who lives with long-term partner Gerard Cunningham, who works in property, and their son Zephyrus, 12, and eight-year-old twin girls Xanthe and Zena — frequently travelled across time zones due to her presenting job, getting minimal sleep and snacking whenever she could.
But now it’s a very different story.
She explains: “I fast until 11am, then I’ll have a big breakfast, mostly steamed vegetables along with some lean protein.
“Then shortly after I’ll have a big bowl of seeds and berries with coconut milk and non-dairy yoghurt.
“I also allow myself one coffee with a splash of coconut milk a day.
“I’ve reduced my dairy intake drastically because I feel it’s better for me personally.
“Everyone’s different, but that works for me.
“I have to be very disciplined. When I’m filming, my rider is, ‘Please can I start at ten and can I eat my steamed vegetables at 11?’”
Julia is so passionate about clean eating that she’s banned cereal and plastic bottles from the house so the children have as few toxins in their diets as possible.
She says: “My kids raise their eyebrows at me when I go on about toxins in plastic and sugar in foods.
“We drink water from glass bottles, not plastic, because they’re full of hormone-mimicking chemicals. And cereals are out.
“When it comes to pizza, we only have sourdough. And if they’ve had pizza once that week, they can’t have it again.
“It shouldn’t be a go-to, everyday food. You’re eating wheat that’s mass produced and the emulsifiers, they’re bad.
“We’ve all become so addicted to pizza, bread, pasta, sugary sauces.
“I’m lucky that my kids love veggies like broccoli, sauerkraut and cauliflower, and will snack on cucumbers and carrots.
“If they get really hungry, shove that under their noses and they’ll get full and get used to it.”
Julia admits she’s seen raised eyebrows as a result of her children’s super-healthy diets.
She says: “People say, ‘God, I feel sorry for your kids’, but really? Don’t.
“My kids understand why I feel this way. And, of course, they don’t think sweets equal cancer. They know it’s coming from a good place.
“And more importantly, they understand about food. They know what proteins and carbs are.
Julia says her kids, including twin girls Xanthe and Zena, understand just how important it is to live healthilyCredit: Instagram
“Even though I am a pain-in-the-arse mummy, these things will stick with them.
“I hope they won’t chow down on McDonald’s when they go to uni, or slurp Coca-Cola all the time, but they might.
“At some stage they’ll come back and they’ll know.”
Along with her diet, Julia has radically overhauled her sleep routine, leaving her busy social life a distant memory.
“It’s a rarity for me to go out and see my friends in the evening, or stay up past 10pm,” she says.
“I have a sleep hygiene routine. When I’ve not been sleeping properly for a couple of nights, my blood glucose goes up and it makes me feel really tired.
“When I know my body is tired, my responses aren’t going to be as good and I won’t digest my food properly.
“My golden rule is to eat while it’s light, stop when it’s dark. It’s harder to digest food in the evening.”
But Julia is realistic that she can’t always run her life like clockwork.
“I did actually stay up until 1am the other night,” she says.
“I didn’t drink, but I was dancing and chatting with my friends and there’s value to that, too.
“Fun, enjoyment, pleasure — it’s important for your health once in a while.
“But in today’s society, we are conditioned to think fun equals eating cake and drinking alcohol — and it doesn’t have to.”
Julia, whose passion has always been the great outdoors, has detailed her lifestyle changes in her new book, Walk Yourself Happy, in which she encourages readers to look to the healing power of nature.
She credits getting outside, taking in oxygen from the trees and walking at least 10,000 steps a day with helping her survive cancer.
She also had a single mastectomy in October 2021.
It’s something the star feels strongly about because, like many cancer survivors, there is always the fear it could return.
“I’ve discovered from DNA testing that I have a higher chance of recurrence than other women in my position,” she explains.
“If there was another Julia next to me and she didn’t have the genetic make-up I have, she would have a ten per cent chance of recurrence, but I have a 13 per cent chance.
“I hope I’ve found a way of dealing with that.
“It’s very important to understand the trauma you go through with something like a cancer diagnosis.
“I’ve shed tears and I’ve felt very frightened pre-mastectomy. But I think I’ve learnt to comfortably live with it.
“Sometimes, I let it back into my life and I’ll have a teary meditation. And I practise gratitude, I’m doing well.”
As for the current state of play, Julia is pragmatic.
She says: “I’ve done an ultrasound and blood tests quite recently and although my white blood count was a bit low, that could have been down to a variety of factors on the day, like tiredness.
“I’m in good health right now and I’m certainly doing all I can to stay that way.”
She also understands that some people may find her lifestyle overhaul a little extreme and she is conscious not to preach.
She says: “I get a lot of pushback from people on social media when I talk about what I’ve changed.
“Some people say, ‘You’re blaming me for my illness. You’re saying it’s my fault’.
“I’m not saying that. You don’t know what all the things in our environment are doing to you.
“But don’t underestimate that there are things at play that will have an effect on your health.
“I can’t change the past. I ate the sugar. I stayed up late, I drank the way I did.
“Maybe it would’ve happened to me anyway, but I don’t blame myself or feel shame.
“I don’t think there’s one thing that contributes to chronic illness. I think it’s a multitude of things.
“But one thing’s for sure, it’s never too late to make lifestyle changes that can have a positive impact on your health.”
- Walk Yourself Happy by Julia Bradbury, £20, is out now. She will be touring it from Monday. For dates, see theoutdoorguide.co.uk.
JULIA’S new diet is aimed at keeping cancer at bay, but what’s the science behind it?
Dr Laura Freeman, GP and medical director of PB Health, explains . . .
There is evidence to show that consuming dairy is linked to hormone-dependent cancersCredit: Shutterstock
DAIRY: There is evidence to show that consuming dairy is linked to hormone-dependent cancers, such as breast and ovarian.
This could be due to the growth hormones found in milk.
Studies have shown people who eat tofu and soya, rather than dairy, are 12 per cent less likely to develop breast cancer.
Sugar is linked to developing chronic conditions – but fruits, which contain natural sugars, are extremely good for youCredit: Shutterstock
SUGAR: Sugar consumption is linked to the development of chronic conditions such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
In turn, chronic disease is a risk factor for cancer. But not all sugar is harmful.
Whole fruits contain natural sugars, but also fibre, vitamins and antioxidants, and are extremely good for you.
Sourdough can be beneficial in lowering the risk of cancer if it’s made using wholegrain wheatCredit: Shutterstock
SOURDOUGH PIZZA: The emulsifiers Julia mentions are in many processed foods.
They disrupt the gut’s microbiome, which plays a key role in fighting cancer.
If sourdough is made using wholegrain wheat – which along with other wholegrains can lower the risk of cancer – it could be beneficial.
Some cancer charities encourage you to avoid plasticCredit: Shutterstock
PLASTIC: There’s currently no strong evidence to prove that plastics can increase your risk of cancer, although some cancer charities encourage you to avoid it.
Plastic is currently on the Institute of Cancer Research’s high-priority list to be reviewed, so everything could change over the next few years.
