I Was So Weak’ Julia Bradbury Opens Up About Cancer Battle While Filming ITV Show
Julia Bradbury has opened up about an emotional moment while filming her new ITV series, after being overwhelmed by the scenery during a trip to Antarctica.
The former Countryfile presenter, known for her love of the outdoors and keeping fit, was filming Julia Bradbury’s Wonders Of The Frozen South when she became tearful after reaching Paradise Harbour on the western tip of the continent.
The moment clearly hit home for Bradbury, who was diagnosed with cancer five years ago and later underwent a mastectomy in 2021. Standing in one of the most remote places on Earth, she said the experience brought everything rushing back.
She shared: “That’s when the tears started to roll down my face. After a breast cancer diagnosis and mastectomy in 2021, I didn’t think I’d ever be brave enough to leave the safety of my home and family to do something like this again. ‘I was so weak physically, and so emotionally raw, that the idea of testing myself, of making this kind of TV show and being so far away from my partner and our children seemed impossible.”
Despite the emotional moment, Bradbury did not want the cameras to stop. She was reportedly asked whether filming should pause, but she insisted they keep rolling because she wanted to speak honestly about what she was going through and share her story as it happened.
The presenter later described the scene around her, saying it felt almost unreal. Speaking to MailOnline, she painted a picture of the Antarctic summer sky and the wildlife in the distance.
She added to MailOnline: “The sky was pink in the Antarctic summer, there were icebergs on the horizon and a solitary humpback whale, idling about and blowing spouts. I was sitting there thinking, “When I’m old, this is something I want to tell my grandchildren about…” and that made me realise that I was living my second life, the one after cancer, to the full.”
Bradbury’s reflections show just how much the trip meant to her, not just as a filming project but as a personal milestone. After facing a life-changing diagnosis and major surgery, she admitted she once doubted she would ever feel confident enough to take on something so physically demanding again, especially while being far away from her family.
The emotional release in Paradise Harbour seemed to mark a moment of pride as much as relief, as she took in how far she had come since the hardest period of her life. The trip has clearly become more than just another travel series and more like proof to herself that she is still capable of pushing her limits.
Her new ITV programme, Julia Bradbury’s Wonders Of The Frozen South, will see her explore what is described as the world’s last great wilderness, with the series running across three episodes.
Viewers will follow her journey through the frozen landscape as she climbs hills, takes in the snow-covered scenery, and comes face to face with the raw beauty of the Antarctic environment.
For Bradbury, though, the biggest part of the adventure seems to be not the ice or the distance travelled, but the personal meaning of simply being there.