Julia Bradbury has issued an emotional update after being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2021. The Countryfile presenter underwent a mastectomy and chemotherapy to treat the illness when doctors discovered a 6cm tumour in her breast – after it was initially missed twice on mammograms due to her dense breast tissue.

Now Julia has taken to social media to describe how it felt to go through a “crushing career blow”, combined with a cancer diagnosis and losing someone close to her. She wrote on Instagram: “I’ve faced more moments than I can count where I thought things were truly over. A crushing career blow. A cancer diagnosis. Losing someone close to me.

“Each one felt like the end of a chapter and I didn’t know how to write the next one. My chest has been tight with fear and there have been many moments of utter fear.

“But somehow I kept going, even on the days I couldn’t see the next corner. And I’m still here. Re-shaped, a little bit bruised, but stronger and more resilient. There is no light without dark.”

She added: “Sometimes it’s the tear that lets it in. Don’t give up.”

Julia has now been in remission from cancer since her surgery, but admitted “death looked her in the eye” during her battle.

She elaborated in 2024: “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 sh**** winter.”