TV Host Mom, 52, Fighting Breast Cancer Worries Having Kids In Her 40s Raised Her Cancer Risk: She’s Still ‘Extremely Grateful’ After Mastectomy

“Having a mastectomy, or a double mastectomy is a huge shock for any woman. It's profoundly difficult and emotional to get through. But I am extremely grateful I was able to have immediate reconstruction, because of the type of cancer I had and its location,” she told Fabulous Magazine in a recent interview.

"I'm very conscious that there are still lots of women waiting for reconstruction, or who don't have that as an option, or remain flat,” Bradbury explained. “So the real focus for me is what I do have in life. The statistics are that one in two of us will get cancer in our lifetime.

Bradbury, who shares three childrena son named Zephyrus, 11, and twin girls, Zena and Xanthe, age 7with Irish property developer Gerard Cunningham, added: "It's made me reset and relook at my health, my lifestyle and my nutrition."

The popular TV presenter also admits she’s proud of being an “older” mom, despite the complications that come with having children later in life. Bradbury went through five rounds of IVF with her husband after suffering from endometriosis.

“I love motherhood and I think there are certain life skills you have more experience with when you're older. It does provide you with some other advantages to handle parenthood,” she told the magazine. “But if you have your children later in life, that increases your risk of breast cancer. So does being a tall woman, as does being extensively on the Pill."

Bradbury is now working to spread awareness for breast cancer and shared an Instagram post on Thursday about several things she didn’t know prior to her diagnosis.

She wrote: “Alcohol increases our risk of all cancers including breast. If I drink one unit of alcohol a day I’ve been told my risk of recurrence stands at about 6-7%. If I drink four units a day my risk increases to 28%. Having children later in life increases your risk of breast cancer (I had my first child at 40). Being tall increases your chances of breast cancer (I’m 5’9″).

“Having dense breasts increases your chance of breast cancer (I have dense breasts). Being overweight increases your chances of multiple cancers. For women the high risk zone is being overweight after menopause – this increases your risk of breast cancer,” her post continued. “Combined HRT can be associated with a small increase in the risk of breast cancer. The increased risk is related to how long you take HRT, and it falls after you stop taking it.”

Breast Reconstruction Regaining Your Sense of Self

In regards to reducing the risk of breast cancer, Bradbury advises others to reduce alcohol consumption, eat healthily, exercise regularly, avoid smoking, get rest, and reduce stress

“This is well discussed information. I’m not sharing this to shame people or make us feel bad about ourselves,” she concluded. “I can’t change when I had my children and I wouldn’t change that for the world. I can’t change how tall I am! But there are some ‘modifiable risk factors’ that we can take control of.”

Julia Bradbury's Breast Cancer Journey

Bradbury's diagnosis came after a couple mammograms to check on a lump she found in her breast during the summer of 2020, when she was 50 years old. She announced her breast cancer diagnosis in September 2021, but she told her husband and children before sharing the news with the world.

"Telling your children you have cancer is the hardest thing you'll ever have to do in your life," the BBC host previously said in an emotional interview. "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."

Bradbury had a double mastectomy to treat her disease shortly after her diagnosis. A mastectomy is the full or partial removal of a breast and it's used as a treatment for breast cancer. Other breast cancer treatments can include radiation, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy.

Following her mastectomy, she immediately underwent breast reconstruction.

As for where she's at now, she does not technically have the all-clear yet. In a separate interview, she revealed that she has tiny fragments of cancerous cells in her breast tissue and a genetic predisposition to a higher-than-average risk of her cancer coming back. Even still, her attitude is positive.

"I'm in the top five or six percent of women in the country in terms of the likelihood of recurrence," she said. "That puts me in the 'moderate risk' category higher than the average woman but, look, it's about percentages and perspectives.

"The doctors have not found a huge spread of an aggressive cancer. I have lost my breast but been able to have an implant and keep my own nipple. I feel lucky and grateful every single day, and I have to learn to live with this risk, to accept the fragility of life, without it consuming me."

She did not need chemotherapy or radiation to treat her breast cancer, but Bradbury has recently been considering the pros and cons of starting a regime of hormone therapies to reduce her likelihood of recurrence.

When Should You Consider a Mastectomy?

"They're potentially life-saving drugs, but they come with significant side effects for some women joint pain, osteoporosis, trouble with your teeth, risk of uterine cancer and a running jump straight into menopause," she explained. "I have young children to consider and it's hard to know what's best."

Screening for Breast Cancer

It's important to undergo regular screenings for breast cancer, as Bradbury has done. The current guidelines from the American Cancer Society (ACS) say that women aged 45 to 54 with a regular risk of breast cancer should get mammograms annually.

For women with an elevated risk of breast cancer (who have a family history of the disease or carry the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation), you should begin screening before age 45. Speak with family members about your family cancer history it could save your life. Performing self-exams in the shower or at home is another good way to stay on top of breast cancer screenings; these should be done in addition to  not in place of mammograms.

Related: TV Star, 51, Looks SENSATIONAL In Sports Bra After Recent Mastectomy As She Shows Off Her Yoga Skills

Breast cancer is screened for via mammogram, which looks for lumps in the breast tissue and other signs of existing cancer, or cancer in its earliest stages. If a worrisome lump is detected, your radiologist or doctor will advise you on the next steps, which typically include a breast biopsy.

Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.

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