London - Balancing her hectic career with the demands of raising three children, Julia Bradbury admits she relies heavily on her live-in nanny.
Perhaps too heavily – the TV presenter confessed that her son Zephyrus, four, and one-year-old twin daughters Xanthe and Zena prefer the nanny to her.
However, the former Countryfile star insists she does not feel guilty or jealous. “I think as the parent you’ve got to give your nanny as much autonomy as you possibly can. There are no jealousies,” she said.
Miss Bradbury does not feel put out if her children go to the nanny, Jenny, when she is in the room, because there are so many times when she is not around.
“If one of them falls over and goes to her, I can’t go ‘Oww!’ – if I’m not there, I need that to happen,” added Miss Bradbury, 45. “Jenny is like a big sister to the children and she’s very natural if we’re in the room together. You have to be sensible about it. You can’t feel guilty.”
She said her children “adore” the nanny, who has worked for her and her partner Gerard Cunningham, 55, at their West London home for three years. Speaking at the launch for the Campaign to Protect Rural England’s book 22 Ideas That Saved the English Countryside, to which she contributed, she said her life would be impossible without a live-in nanny.
“It’s the most important job in the world looking after your children so for me the only way is to have them as a part of your family,” said Miss Bradbury.
“There’s no such thing as a 9-to-5 in my situation.”
Miss Bradbury, who presents Best Walks With A View on ITV, said she also relies on the support of extended family members to manage her workload.
“If you’ve got a good family then you’re quids in,” she said.
“You need to, if you can, call on your family. We’ve got lots of loving aunties and uncles doting [on them].
“It’s just about all planning together and making sure you’ve got the gaps covered.”
Miss Bradbury knows she is lucky to manage both motherhood and work, and has admitted previously that she was ‘purely selfish’ when younger as she focused on work and fun.
Daily Mail