I know how to save the NHS £80BILLION

Following her breast cancer diagnosis aged 50, TV presenter Julia Bradbury gave up alcohol to reset her lifestyle. Four years on, she reveals her secrets for a longer, healthier life in new book Hack Yourself Healthy... and the scientific data behind the healing power of nature

- By Jane Oddy

NEXT YEAR will be the fifth year Julia Bradbury has been cancer-free. After being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2021, she has been determined to avoid a recurrence. "We are our thoughts - and I will not let thoughts of getting ill again enter my head," she insists.

In her new book Hack Yourself Healthy, the popular TV presenter and author has embarked on a rigorous journey to uncover the ultimate health and wellness "hacks".

Volunteering to test the latest in biohacking, screening and testing, her aim is to be the fittest and healthiest she has ever been, while passing on top tips to readers.

"I'm aiming to be a 90-year-old super yogi granny," laughs Julia, 55.

"That's what this book is about. It's about health span. It's not just about living longer, it's about wanting to get down on the floor with my grandchildren.

"I want to be mobile. I want to be really present in those last years of my life."

The former Countryfile star says one of the experiments she undertook proved the NHS could save billions just by encouraging people to get outside. It is research she wants to take all the way to Westminster and Health Secretary Wes Streeting.

"I went to Cornwall and worked with professors at the University of Exeter who have done groundbreaking work on environmental and human health," she says.

"I was given a written test, and then I redid it after a half-hour coastal walk. My productivity had gone up 20%.

"They asked me about my nature appreciation time I boost and pepper it throughout my day and essentially they worked out that the amount of time I spend outside saves the NHS £1,700 a year.

"This is because people who spend more time outside are happier, healthier and more resilient.

"Then they worked out that if the population of England did the same it could save the NHS £81billion.

"I am serious about it I'm going to try and get a meeting with Wes Streeting."