She underwent a double mastectomy in early October.
And on Tuesday, Julia Bradbury returned to This Morning, four months after her surgery and revealed her ‘healing is going very well’ as she continues to battle breast cancer.
The TV presenter, 51, who revealed she had breast cancer in September, told hosts Alison Hammond and Rochelle Humes: ‘Today I was ready!’ as she appeared down the line from the This Morning’s Forest.
She’s back! On Tuesday, Julia Bradbury, 51, returned to This Morning, four months after undergoing a mastectomy and revealed her ‘healing is going very well’
The Countryfile star was dressed in a denim shirt and leather aviator jacket with a taupe coloured teddy coat on top to keep the chill at bay.
Julia – who was unveiling the new ‘Plant A Tree’ campaign, was asked by the show’s hosts if she felt ready to be back at work, to which she responded with a smile.
She said: ‘First of all I wanna say thanks to the whole of the This Morning team – you’ve been checking in with me regularly to check how I’m doing.
‘And it is lovely to be back and you’ve been sending me little messages saying ‘are you ready? are you ready?’
Brave: The Countryfile presenter revealed in October that she’d had a mastectomy, sharing a photo of herself post-operation on Instagram
Ready! The TV presenter, told hosts Alison Hammond and Rochelle Humes: ‘Today I was ready!’ as she appeared down the line from the This Morning’s Forest
Going well! ‘I’m recovering. I had a mastectomy a couple of months ago. I’ve been having lots of physio and lots of treatment. My healing is going very well thank you’ said Julia
‘And, Today I was ready because it’s a beautiful morning in the forest and I wanted to help give away these trees. The doctor said “yes it’s alright”.
‘I’m recovering. I had a mastectomy a couple of months ago. I’ve been having lots of physio and lots of treatment. My healing is going very well thank you.
‘I’m taking this opportunity to suck in the green therapy. And I’m going to go for a little walk around the forest when we’ve finished here this morning.’
Ahead of her mastectomy in October, Julia shared a topless snap of herself to Instagram amid her breast cancer diagnosis.
A day earlier she posted a candid snap of herself looking upset – highlighting the reality of dealing with cancer.
Fresh air! ‘I’m taking this opportunity to suck in the green therapy. And I’m going to go for a little walk around the forest when we’ve finished here this morning’ she explained
Coping: Ahead of her mastectomy in October, Julia shared a topless snap of herself to Instagram amid her breast cancer diagnosis
Candid: A day earlier she posted a candid snap of herself looking upset – highlighting the reality of dealing with cancer
Julia elaborated on this, and how ‘upsetting’ she has found the situation, and that she fears ‘death and the unknown’, in an interview with Hello! Magazine in October.
She told the publication: ‘Fear of death is what you think of when you first hear the cancer word. Then it’s fear of the unknown. Then there’s a grieving process, as well, and disbelief.
‘I don’t know – nobody does – what awaits me on the other side. I don’t know if the cancer has spread or if I’m going to need chemo…’
The Countryfile star went on: ‘I’m going through this on a deeply personal level and I’ve found it incredibly upsetting. I’m seeing a counsellor and taking every available help and kindness that’s been offered to me.
‘At the moment I’m being very regimented with my time. There is me-time, walking time, and the time in the day when I have a little cry. Then it’s: ”Okay, come on. Let’s carry on with preparing the body for what’s coming my way…”’
Pre-op: Julia took part in her last live TV appearance on This Morning in October, filmed in the This Morning forest, before her mastectomy
The journalist – who has children Zeph, 10, and twins Zena and Xanthe, six, with husband Gerard Cunningham – found a lump in her breast in 2020 which proved to be a benign cluster of cysts.
She had to have another mammogram in 2021 and though that didn’t return anything unusual, doctors found a shadow at her follow-up appointment.
Speaking of the first signs, Julia said: ‘About a year ago I noticed a lump in my breast. I was away on a work trip and then I came back and we went into lockdown.
‘I admit I was a little bit sloppy. It took me a month until I spoke to my GP, who I’ve known since I was 18.
‘Fast-forward a year I still had a lump, and I had something called micro cysts. I was told to keep an eye on them which I did. I went for my follow mammogram which I insisted on having. I told them I had this pain that I could feel in my lump.
Doting mother: The journalist – who has children Zeph, 10, and twins Zena and Xanthe, six, with husband Gerard Cunningham – found a lump in her breast in 2020 which proved to be benign
‘It wasn’t until the third physical examination that a doctor discovered a shadow which turned out to be a ”tiny lump”.’
Julia needed to have a mammogram right away. ‘Within minutes I was having a biopsy, that’s when I knew I was on a different path,’ she said.
‘That was the first moment I felt sadness and fear because everything just changed so quickly, but of course that’s what happens with cancer.’
Breaking down in tears, the presenter said: ‘Anybody who has been through this will know that you can’t help feel fear and I’m somebody who is very positive and I’m taking it one step at a time. Human instinct.
‘The first thing I thought about was my children.’
Call the Macmillan Support Line on 0808 808 00 00 for more information.
Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world and affects more than two MILLION women a year
Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world. Each year in the UK there are more than 55,000 new cases, and the disease claims the lives of 11,500 women. In the US, it strikes 266,000 each year and kills 40,000. But what causes it and how can it be treated?
What is breast cancer?
Breast cancer develops from a cancerous cell which develops in the lining of a duct or lobule in one of the breasts.
When the breast cancer has spread into surrounding breast tissue it is called an ‘invasive’ breast cancer. Some people are diagnosed with ‘carcinoma in situ’, where no cancer cells have grown beyond the duct or lobule.
Most cases develop in women over the age of 50 but younger women are sometimes affected. Breast cancer can develop in men though this is rare.
Staging means how big the cancer is and whether it has spread. Stage 1 is the earliest stage and stage 4 means the cancer has spread to another part of the body.
The cancerous cells are graded from low, which means a slow growth, to high, which is fast growing. High grade cancers are more likely to come back after they have first been treated.
What causes breast cancer?
A cancerous tumour starts from one abnormal cell. The exact reason why a cell becomes cancerous is unclear. It is thought that something damages or alters certain genes in the cell. This makes the cell abnormal and multiply ‘out of control’.
Although breast cancer can develop for no apparent reason, there are some risk factors that can increase the chance of developing breast cancer, such as genetics.
What are the symptoms of breast cancer?
The usual first symptom is a painless lump in the breast, although most breast lumps are not cancerous and are fluid filled cysts, which are benign.
The first place that breast cancer usually spreads to is the lymph nodes in the armpit. If this occurs you will develop a swelling or lump in an armpit.
How is breast cancer diagnosed?
- Initial assessment: A doctor examines the breasts and armpits. They may do tests such as a mammography, a special x-ray of the breast tissue which can indicate the possibility of tumours.
- Biopsy: A biopsy is when a small sample of tissue is removed from a part of the body. The sample is then examined under the microscope to look for abnormal cells. The sample can confirm or rule out cancer.
If you are confirmed to have breast cancer, further tests may be needed to assess if it has spread. For example, blood tests, an ultrasound scan of the liver or a chest x-ray.
How is breast cancer treated?
Treatment options which may be considered include surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and hormone treatment. Often a combination of two or more of these treatments are used.
- Surgery: Breast-conserving surgery or the removal of the affected breast depending on the size of the tumour.
- Radiotherapy: A treatment which uses high energy beams of radiation focussed on cancerous tissue. This kills cancer cells, or stops cancer cells from multiplying. It is mainly used in addition to surgery.
- Chemotherapy: A treatment of cancer by using anti-cancer drugs which kill cancer cells, or stop them from multiplying
- Hormone treatments: Some types of breast cancer are affected by the ‘female’ hormone oestrogen, which can stimulate the cancer cells to divide and multiply. Treatments which reduce the level of these hormones, or prevent them from working, are commonly used in people with breast cancer.
How successful is treatment?
The outlook is best in those who are diagnosed when the cancer is still small, and has not spread. Surgical removal of a tumour in an early stage may then give a good chance of cure.
The routine mammography offered to women between the ages of 50 and 70 mean more breast cancers are being diagnosed and treated at an early stage.
For more information visit breastcancercare.org.uk, breastcancernow.org or www.cancerhelp.org.uk
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