Julia Bradbury has revealed that she "struggled" during her thirties, taking the decision to seek professional help after feeling overwhelmed by big career decisions and suffering from endometriosis. Speaking exclusively to HELLO!, the 48-year-old revealed: "all of those things at that time were really getting on top of me, so I went to see my doctor and I said 'it's getting on top of me and I think I might be depressed.'"
Julia revealed that she struggled in her thirties
The mother-of-three was referred to a therapist who she saw for three months. "It was so helpful, just to be able to talk to a neutral person about everything, to put the case forward to friends is brilliant but sometimes it is nice to talk to someone who isn't connected to you. Because your friends are obviously on your side, so they have a view but it might not be the right, balanced view." The ex-Countryfile presenter now encourages everyone in the same situation to "go and see that impartial third person as they can be incredibly helpful."
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The doting mother also revealed to HELLO! that she relies heavily on nature to lift her mood when feeling down. "Outdoors for me is a therapist, and it is constantly a therapist. It is incredibly important I think for all of us, to spend some time everyday outdoors if you can." The television presenter added: "We don't carve enough time for ourselves and we should really understand the importance of spending some time outdoors…people have been using light and vitamin D and sunshine as a form of health aid and recovery aid for centuries really."
Julia reveals her camping hacks
Julia's love of nature is something she has made sure is implemented within her family, with her seven-year-old son Zephyr and three-year-old twin daughters, Xanthe and Zena, also sharing her passion for the great outdoors. For Julia, "camping is intense family time, it is a real bonding time as quite quickly roles develop wherever you are, who is going to be in charge of setting up the tent, who is in charge of cooking or bedding".
Julia enjoys spending time outdoors with her family
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The presenter explained further, revealing: "this is a good thing, because you can navigate in different ways to perhaps you would at home or on a more traditional holiday, you are together in enclosed spaces but can unzip the door in the morning and be wherever you want to be, so there is freedom aswell, the best of both worlds."
We caught up with Julia while she was spending 24 hours staying in a luxury caravan sailing down the Thames on a barge, from The O2 to the Houses of Parliament. She then moored up overnight by Tower Bridge to celebrate 100 years of caravanning, hosted by The Camping and Caravanning Club.