Julia Bradbury has revealed the terrifying ordeals she faced with stalkers, following her rise to fame on Countryfile. The beloved presenter opened up about receiving 'horrible, rambling letters' which left her feeling targeted and scared.
Along with her on-screen success, Julia has had a brush with the darker aspects of celebrity life. She told the Telegraph: "I've been skinny shamed many times on social media. I am skinny, I've always been skinny. I've got exposed collarbones. I had lots of 'Oh my God, she looks ill, has she got cancer? ' Before I was diagnosed with it – just because people could see my collarbones."
In a distressing revelation, Julia recounts how stalkers have tormented her: "Somebody found out where I lived and posted horrible, rambling letters through may door – saying things like 'I know when you're looking at me through the lens,' and 'I know that you know what I'm thinking.' It was very intense."
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Adam Gerrard / Daily Mirror)Thankfully, the police were able to step in, but Julia recalled: "I've got friends who have not been so lucky," hinting at less fortunate outcomes for others. Her personal health scare also compounded her concerns.
Speaking to Chris Evans, she said: "I feel like I've looked death in the eyes," citing her diagnosis with breast cancer and the difficulty in detecting it due to dense breast tissue, a challenge that affects roughly 40% of women, reports the Daily Record.
She recounted the chilling moment: "I was actually away filming in Costa Rica and I was in the hotel bathroom and I felt a lump in my left breast."
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ITV)Once back on home turf, she hastily contacted her GP. The lump was initially dismissed as a benign micro-cyst, but Julia highlighted that for 30 to 40% of women with dense breasts, mammograms can be deceptively reassuring: "You might walk away thinking you're all clear and that might not be the case," she warned.
Julia's own health scare was nearly missed: "Mine was missed a couple of times. Eventually, I was leaving my doctor's office and he said 'I'll just give you one more ultra sound before you leave to go off on your holiday, and I won't see you for a year."
It was then a minuscule dark speck raised alarm - "Then he noticed a tiny dark pin-prick and said 'I don't like that. We need to get that biopsied right away.' That was a year and a bit after I had first discovered the lump."
But thanks to her doctor's insistence, Julia's story took a turn for the better. She acknowledges the gravity of her circumstance: "I wasn't close to death with my cancer but I feel like I've looked death in the eyes. It's been a massive wake up call."
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