It took four rounds of IVF for her to conceive twin daughters Xanthe and Zena, now 5 years old, with partner Gerard Cunningham.
And Julia Bradbury, 49, admitted she did not want to expose her mother, Chrissi, 82, to the ‘pain’ she endured when going through the invasive treatment.
The TV presenter – who also raises son Zephyrus, 6, with her husband – explained that ‘it was a matter of getting the balance right’ when deciding how much of the ordeal to share with her mum.
Candid: Julia Bradbury, 49, admitted she did not want to expose her mother, Chrissi, 82, to the ‘pain’ she endured when going through four rounds of IVF to conceive her twin daughters
Speaking to Hello! magazine, Julia said of her mother: ‘She was amazing. IVF is not pleasant, so it was a matter of getting the balance right between sharing the right moments and not exposing her to too much pain, as I knew it would be painful for her to see me going through it.’
The pair appeared together in an episode of ITV’s The Greek Islands With Julia Bradbury in which they visited Chios, home to Chrissi’s ancestors.
The former Countryfile presenter said: ‘It was an amazing thing to do together, at this stage in our lives, a seminal moment in our relationship.
‘We were in Greece, our homeland, going on this adventure and tracing mum’s roots, and for it to be immortalised on film was a lovely, special thing to do.’
Worth it! It took four rounds of IVF for her to conceive twin daughters Xanthe and Zena, now 5 years old, with partner Gerard Cunningham
Difficult balance: She explained that ‘it was a matter of getting the balance right’ when deciding how much of her IVF ordeal to share with her mum
She also praised her mother for giving her a ‘loving, secure childhood’.
She added: ‘I don’t think we’ve ever been in any doubt about the love there was, and that’s the greatest security you can offer your children. And I’m trying to give that to my children.
Out now! Read the full article in Hello! magazine, out now
‘My mum is very driven, determined and stubborn, all traits that I’ve inherited. But she’s very cautious.’
Read the full article in Hello! magazine, out now.
The interview comes after Julia candidly spoke about her own experience with endometriosis, a painful condition that affects the womb lining, on Lorraine last year.
The former Countryfile host admitted it took her a ‘long time to get diagnosed’ as she didn’t suffer from any ‘debilitating symptoms’.
She explained: ‘I just thought I had very heavy periods, I was a bit moody and had bad cramps. I never had debilitating symptoms so it took me a long time to get diagnosed.
‘I was in my 30s, I didn’t know I had anything wrong. I wanted to check my fertility so I went for a check up and was told I had it. I had laparoscopy. It was a big operation.’
Worth the pain: ‘I knew it would be painful for her to see me going through it’ admitted Julia
Julia shares her ‘miracle’ babies, with husband Gerard, who she credited as being ‘a fantastic daddy’ who is ‘very understanding’.
Due to her condition, it took five stressful rounds of IVF before she became pregnant with her youngest girls – against all the odds.
On the show, she said: ‘I had my miracle baby and miracle twins in my 40s. I was an old mum and I had Endometrosis. I had my boy at 40 and then my gorgeous girls at 43 after five rounds of IVF.’
Team! As well has their daughters, the TV presenter also raises son Zephyrus, 6, with her husband of 20 years