TV host Julia Bradbury has revealed the significant steps she’s taking to safeguard her health after a cancer diagnosis caushed her world to “stop.”
The ex-Countryfile presenter, who is 54 years old, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2021 and had to undergo a mastectomy. Now in remission, she opened up about her fight against the illness during an appearance on James Martin’s Saturday Morning.
In today’s episode of the ITV cooking show (April 26), she disclosed that she’s adopting radical measures to secure her future health, details of which will be included in her forthcoming book, Hack Yourself Healthy.
“My world did stop, but once I was through [cancer treatment] and I had a left mastectomy, I really just thought ‘Ok, what am I going to do now for myself to enhance my life, enhance my health and make sure I can stay healthy,” she said on the ITV show.
“I was always into my health, I was always into walking and I enjoyed my food, but when you really start to look into health and really start to analyse what it is… then it becomes quite prescriptive.”
She also mentioned undergoing genetic testing recently to understand precisely which foods are most beneficial for her body, reports the Express.
“What I’ve done for the book is undergone all sorts of genetic testing so I know what my genetic blueprint is,” she elaborated. “There will be certain things, a certain way that I’m wired, and there’ll be certain foods I can eat that will enhance my health.”
Julia Bradbury was one of the original faces of Channel 5 when it first hit the airwaves in 1998, presenting alongside comedian Tim Vine. She later became a familiar face on Watchdog from 2005 to 2009 and kickstarted a new chapter for Countryfile with co-host Matt Baker.
On today’s episode of James Martin’s Saturday Morning, the popular chef was joined by culinary talents Lisa Goodwin-Allen and Judy Joo, as well as First Dates’ Merlin Griffiths, who was on hand to mix some tantalising cocktails for everyone.
Merlin has previously opened up about his own battle with cancer, confessing that he would “never be the same again” following his treatment. He was diagnosed with stage three bowel cancer in 2021, and was declared cancer-free two years later.
In a heartfelt 2024 interview with The Mirror, Merlin revealed: “My life will never quite be the same, and anyone that has gone through bowel cancer and the horrific treatment that it involves will understand. I might look whole, but I’m actually missing about 45% of my insides. It’s quite a major amputation internally that I have had.”
James Martin’s Saturday Morning airs Saturdays from 9.30am
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