Julia Bradbury returns to screens with her emotional health journey which has been captured in the new ITV documentary Breast Cancer and Me as we look at all you need to know about the TV presenter's cancer battle.
The show which airs on ITV tonight (Thursday 28th April) follows Julia’s very personal experiences, from emotional and frank video diary entries to navigating the ‘c’ word with her young children.
And central to this story is Julia's support network: her immediate family, all of whom are impacted by Julia's diagnosis and intrinsic to her efforts to recover. Here's all you need to know...
What does Julia Bradbury suffer from?
Julia Bradbury was diagnosed with breast cancer in September 2021 and she received the news while filming for This Morning in the This Morning forest. The former Countryfile presenter had a mastectomy to have a 6cm tumour removed from her left breast.
Speaking to Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield about how she felt when she found out she had cancer she said, "It's completely unbelievable. Until you're in that situation you don't know how you're going to react. You don't know what the impact is going to be. You immediately think about death when you hear the word cancer - it just is somewhere your mind leaps to."
Julia, who has been a cancer ambassador for several years, having had both her parents suffer from cancer, and she shared her own journey on Instagram, "This is the last pic I took of myself before my mastectomy, to remove a 6cm tumour from my left breast. One of the best bits of advice I was given by my friend Heidi who has been through this, was to say goodbye and thank you to my breast…
"For all the years of service and time spent together. Saying farewell and grieving for what we've lost is OK. To all the women about to go through this (I know some of you have your op this week) and to those of you just through the other side...
"It helped me to know this brutal, scary procedure was to save my life."
She continued, "There are new possibilities, this experience will give you an inner strength you didn't know you had, and there is always hope. I am learning more about my body now than I ever have. I understand how incredible it is, how it functions. Our bodies need care, nutrition & emotional sustenance. But for now... #rest Namaste." (sic)
Who is Julia Bradbury's husband and is she still married?
Julia Bradbury is married to Gerard Cunningham. The couple tied the knot in 2000. Julia previously revealed that her husband is rarely ever mentioned in interviews because he "doesn't like to be spoken about" but she praised his support through her cancer journey.
In an interview with The Times she said, "He is a very emotional human being and has been incredibly understanding and just amazing at supporting me with the kids. He's a very involved hands-on daddy and he's made sure we navigate this the right way for the children."
Does Julia Bradbury have children?
Julia Bradbury has three children with her husband - son Zephyr, and non-identical twin daughters Zena and Xanthe, aged seven.
And she described telling her children she had cancer was the "hardest thing".
She explained to This Morning viewers, "Telling your children you have cancer is the hardest thing you'll ever have to do in your life. You also don't quite now how much to tell them to be realistic, and how much do you need to protect them as well. It is a very tricky balance. I don't think any parent really knows exactly what to do."
She went on to recall one of her children's reactions to her diagnosis, "One of my children said can I still hug you, and another of my children said is it contagious. I never thought about either of those two things, so you just don't know what is going through their mind."
"So you do your best but it is just a very, very difficult thing to navigate."
How old is Julia Bradbury?
Julia Bradbury is 51 years old as she was born on 24th July 1970. She was born in Dublin, Ireland to her parents Michael and Chrissi Bradbury. Her Derbyshire-born father worked in the steel and engineering industry as a marketing director and her mother is Greek. The family returned to Britain, where she grew up in an old rectory and attended primary school in Edith Weston, Rutland, followed by King Edward VII School in Sheffield, where her father worked for British Steel Corporation and her mother ran a fashion business.
Julia Bradbury Breast Cancer and Me airs tonight (Thursday 28th April) at 9pm on ITV and is also available to watch afterwards on the ITV hub.
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