‘Being fit helped me to get through breast cancer’

Julie Worsfold, 54, lives in Droitwich, Worcestershire, with her husband, John. They have three children and two foster children. In my twenties, I was a party animal. I did no exercise and ate all the wrong food. I skipped breakfast, had a bowl of chips for lunch and grabbed a bacon sandwich before going out drinking with my friends.

Since becoming a mum and a foster parent, my life has revolved around the kids. I have Jemma, 18, twins Tom and Will, 11, and two foster sons. John and I have fostered more than 30 children, so I suppose my health and fitness was never a priority.

But when I turned 50, I had more time for myself and wanted to get fit, so I started running, using a phone app to track my progress. I also took up yoga and ballroom dancing.

Then, about 18 months ago, I got the bombshell news that I had breast cancer. I could have retreated into my shell, but it made me more determined to stay fit to give myself the best chance. Throughout my treatment, which involved four rounds of chemotherapy, I stayed active, walking every other day. I overhauled my diet, eating more lean meat, fish, whole grains, fruit and vegetarian dishes. I’m mindful of cardiovascular disease because I have a family history of it, so I did the eight-week Betavivo Rise and Shine programme, which involved eating a cholesterol-reducing cereal and doing dancefitness routines. My BMI is excellent, I’m a healthy 9st 7lb and my cholesterol is very low. I’m now free of cancer and, although it may seem a strange thing to say, I feel in the best shape of my life. My doctors asked me to give a talk to medical professionals on how I did it. I’m convinced it’s because I got fit before I was diagnosed. Go to betavivo.co.uk/ eight-week-program

‘I was a party animal’