Sheffield celebrity Julia Bradbury has announced she is suffering from breast cancer and needs urgent surgery

Sheffield-raised celebrity Julia Bradbury has announced she is suffering from breast cancer and needs urgent surgery.
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Julia, a former pupil at King Edward VII School in Crosspool, revealed her illness today on social media, and urged others to make sure they check themselves for any signs of the disease.

She said: “I’m sad to say that I’ve just been diagnosed with breast cancer and need urgent surgery. Please self-check regularly and if you have any unexplained pain, tenderness or lumps, please ask for checks and follow ups. And ask for a second opinion if you’re not happy.

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The 51-year-old said she hoped that sharing her story would give other women the confidence to keep checking and talking to their doctors, especially if they feel something isn’t ‘quite right’.

TV presenter Julia BradburyTV presenter Julia Bradbury
TV presenter Julia Bradbury

The mum-of three, aged 51, who presents the TV shows Countryfile, Watchdog and Britain's Best Walks told the Mail on Sunday: “'My daughter asked ‘Mummy, can I still hug you?'’. I said ‘I need your hugs now more than ever’.

“You hear 'cancer' and your brain starts to explode.

“It is arbitrary and unfair. I have to hope I have caught mine early enough. A mastectomy is a shattering thing to go through but it means that I am going to live and be here for my children.

“Cancer has so many points, the diagnosis seems like everything, but it isn't. It puts you on a pathway and you have to navigate that while holding back your emotions so you are not overwhelmed all the time. Right now I'm simply focused on having surgery because I don't know how I am going to be, if I will have more cancer to deal with, how I will cope with recovery, how life will feel afterwards.

TV presenter Julia BradburyTV presenter Julia Bradbury
TV presenter Julia Bradbury
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“My plan is to come through it and out the other side and I hope to be able to do that bravely enough so that women who are scared to get tested, to get a diagnosis, go ahead. I want to be able to give them a wave and say 'Look, it's horrible, but you can do it too.

“I still need to be a mum to my kids, a partner and a working woman,' she says. 'I'm still Julia.”

Local journalism holds the powerful to account and gives people a voice. Please take out a digital subscription or buy a paper. Thank you. Nancy Fielder, editor

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