TV presenter Julia Bradbury is best known for co-presenting BBC’s Country File with Matt Baker. She lives in West London with her partner Gerard and their 3 year old son Zephyr, and she is expecting twins later this year. She reveals her secret to finding stylish maternity clothes while dealing with a full on schedule!
Julia wearing our Mulberry Silk Maternity Evening Gown at the National Television Awards
When you’re pregnant you’re meant to avoid high pressure/stressful situations aren’t you? So finishing up a new television series, doing lots of press interviews and moving house are probably not what the Gyn ordered. To add to the story, I have a 3year old little boy, I’m 44 and pregnant with twins. It’s been a full-on few months and this pregnancy has affected me differently; swollen ankles, fatigue and nausea have all decided to come to the party this time round, after a near dreamy first pregnancy. Perhaps it’s my age, perhaps it’s because this bundle is a twin engine; whatever the reasons, I’ve been taking naps when I can, doing lots of breathing exercises and walking (I can’t bend over so yoga is out). My FitBit wrist band really helps keep track of my steps because I genuinely don’t feel like pushing myself, but it’s good to know I’ve passed the 5,000 (approx. 2.5 miles) step mark without too much trouble, although I’d normally aim for at least 10,000 steps a day.
Julia wearing our Midnight Multiway Maternity Maxi Dress at the Kate Piper Foundation fundraiser
My new series is called the Wonder of Britain and kicked off on ITV1 at 9pm on Tuesday 6th January 2015. It’s a celebration of the elements that make Britain stand out as an iconic island, from magnificent landscapes to incredible buildings. I explore the country on boats, planes and zip wires digging out all the good stories along the way, travelling from the Isle of Skye in Scotland all the way down to the White Cliffs of Dover. Luckily we’d done all the super-active bits of filming (like abseiling down a 500ft inland cliff at Cheddar Gorge) before I fell pregnant but we did have to scrap a helicopter sequence where I got air-lifted off a rock face right at the end of the series and that was probably for the best!
The last month has involved doing lots of press and photo shoots for the show and all I can say is thank Obi-Wan-Kenobi for Serpahine maternity clothes! It’s not easy styling multiple shoots one after the other when you’re packing a bump of this size! On top of that, I’ve had a lot of formal and black tie events to go to… Seraphine saved the day at the Katie Piper Foundation Fund Raiser in December where I spent the evening with the handsome duo Jake Humphreys and Gethin Jones. It was a great night and thanks to the support and attendance of Simon Cowell with all the X-Factor judges (including beautiful Cheryl and striking Mel B) the event raised nearly £250k to help people live with burns and scars. My Seraphine maternity maxi gown was such a success that I cheated and wore it again to the Royal Albert Hall 2 weeks later for the TV Times Christmas with The Stars night, raising money for Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research. I introduced a carol with the delightful Deborah Meaden from Dragon’s Den – I did try and crouch down for a photo (she’s 5’1, I’m 5’ 9”) but I just looked a bit hunched!
At the opening night of ONCE, Ronan Keating made his West End stage debut and despite appearing to be a little bit nervous he really smashed it. I remember interviewing BoyZone when they first formed, so it was good to see them again and marvel at Shane Lynch’s enormous beard! The next day I was up to the top of the Leadenhall Building in the City for more photos for a couple of newspapers. The top floor of one of London’s tallest skyscrapers in mid-winter is not somewhere I’d recommend you hang about but the London skyline looked incredible twinkling away that evening. The building is featured in the first episode of the Wonder of Britain so it was the perfect location to wrap things up for Christmas. Next up, moving house….
For more from Julia, follow her on Instagram @therealjuliabradbury.
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