Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Kirsty McCormack

Julia Bradbury hopes she's 'still alive' in 10 years despite 'lifetime' cancer diagnosis

Julia Bradbury has spoken openly about her future after being diagnosed with breast cancer last year.

The mother-of-three allowed fans into her personal journey in her ITV documentary, Julia Bradbury: Breast Cancer and Me, as she prepared to undergo a mastectomy and reconstructive surgery.

Not only did she allow the cameras to come into hospital with her, Julia also allowed moving moments such as her being reunited with her three children to be filmed as well.

Speaking about the effects her illness has had on her three kids, Zephyrus, Xanthe and Zena, Julia said: "There can't be a a parent in the world who doesn't worry about the impact of them being ill.

Julia Bradbury has spoken openly about her future after being diagnosed with breast cancer last year (Instagram)

"You know, everybody's been a bit sad, there's been lots of tears and lots of emotions. There is this rollercoaster that you go along and it would be impossible for them to not pick up on that," she continued.

"We're all going through this together and it's hard and it's hard to know as a parent if you're doing it right and if you're talking to them about cancer in the right way."

Julia said she hopes to 'still be alive' in 10 years (ITV)
Julia underwent a mastectomy and reconstructive surgery last year (ITV)

Towards the end of the hour-long film, Julia and her son were filmed going to meet other families who have been living with cancer.

"This is never a lesson that you want to have to teach your children about. That's not something any of us as parents want to do," Julia is heard saying.

"For everybody, it's very uncharted territory. How is this period of their lives going to affect them in five years' time and 10 years' time? We can't answer that question right now. I feel sad that I've brought this into their lives, I hate this, the impact it has on everybody.

Julia is mum to son Zephyrus and her two daughters Xanthe and Zena (ITV)

"I hope we've handled it pretty well and I hope I'm still alive in 10 years to ask them the question, but you just do the best that you can," she continued.

"There's still a little bit of disbelief that I'm in that room, with those mums and those parents, as one of them.

"Cancer is a lifetime diagnosis. It's not something that is dealt with once you've had whatever treatment you have. It is something you then need to learn to deal with for the rest of your life, and that's a big learning curve for me.

Mum-of-three Julia admitted that having cancer has 'completely changed' her life (Instagram)

"I think cancer has put me in a very different place, it's put me on a different footing. It's completely changed my life.

"Life is incredibly precious, I'm very very lucky, I have three amazing children who I have to live for and actually I'm going to take this very bad, negative thing that's happened to me and turn it into something positive," Julia added at the end of the documentary.

Julia Bradbury: Breast Cancer and Me is available to watch on ITV Hub.

You can call the Macmillan Support Line on 0808 808 00 00 for more information.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.