'I spent time with a homeless man sleeping under the M25 flyover and went through a cancer diagnosis - it puts everything into perspective'
17.01.2024 - 17:05
/ ok.co.uk
When it’s bitterly cold outside at this time of the year and a biting wind blows, it’s hard to imagine life on the streets. For Julia Bradbury though, it’s a scenario she can relate to.
The TV star who once slept rough for six nights as part of a BBC show called Famous, Rich and Homeless in 2016 still remembers vividly how "absolutely terrified" she was.
Knowledge that she was going home to her family afterwards was the one thing that got her through, but for others, the outcome isn’t always as promising. Julia, 53, is working with Virgin Media O2 to help raise awareness of data poverty in the UK after it has announced that all O2 stores will now offer free mobile data to those in need.
She believes this is vital, especially after meeting a homeless man, named Kieran. Speaking exclusively to OK!, Julia admitted that meeting Kieran, who was sleeping rough, put life into perspective for her.
She said: "I spent time with a homeless man who was sleeping under the M25 flyover for a year. He had a really terrible time and actually went through a cancer diagnosis while sleeping rough - imagine that? It puts everything into perspective." Passionate about supporting the UK’s homelessness epidemic, Julia insisted the "food banks for data" are essential.
"If you’re homeless and you don’t have any data you can’t get online for essentials like medical attention or finding your nearest shelter information, but you also can’t stay in touch with loved ones. "Kieran explained to me that he couldn’t message his children back to tell them he was ok one morning - it’s dreadful." Julia is a fighter through and through.
Three years ago, in 2021, she went on her own battle against breast cancer, tackling a mastectomy to remove a 6cm tumour
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