How Dame Deborah’s devastated family mourned her at funeral

The family and friends of BBC podcast presenter Dame Deborah James came together today for the funeral of the cancer campaigner, who passed away at the age of 40 following her five-year battle with bowel cancer last month. 

The former deputy head teacher turned cancer campaigner, from west London, was diagnosed with bowel cancer in December 2016, and was told early on that she might not live beyond five years – a milestone that passed in the autumn of 2021.

Sharing the news of her death to Instagram in June, her loved ones wrote: ‘We are deeply saddened to announce the death of Dame Deborah James; the most amazing wife, daughter, sister, mummy. Deborah passed away peacefully today, surrounded by her family.’

Deborah, parent to Hugo, 14, and Eloise, 12, with her husband Sebastien, had been spending the last few weeks at her parents home in Woking, where she passed away.  

She was joined by her mother Heather and her father Alistair, as well as her brother Ben, who announced his engagement to his long-term girlfriend Ashley Hall, earlier this summer and her sister Sarah.

Deborah said she has written letters for her children to help them with their first dates and wedding days, and planned to buy Hugo ‘a nice pen or wallet or cufflinks’ and Eloise ‘Tiffany bracelets and earrings’ to remember her – as well as some presents and postcards from her for the future.

Her family gathered today for her funeral, which she had long planned. Among her hopes were that her ashes will be kept in the family kitchen ‘for a while’ before being scattered. 

The service saw husband Sebastien deliver a eulogy while their children Hugo, 14, and 12-year-old Eloise, both read poems.

Family friend and classically trained jazz singer Natalie Rushdie, who is married to novelist Salman Rushdie’s son Zafar, sang Tell Me It’s Not True from the musical Blood Brothers.

Here FEMAIL reveals the devastated relatives Deborah has left behind…

The loyal husband who’s been Deborah James’s ‘backbone’: Banker Sebastien Bowen danced BBC podcaster ‘back into the light’ in her darkness moments – after cancelling their divorce weeks before her cancer diagnosis 

He was the man she called her ‘rock’, her ‘blanket’ and her ‘very backbone’ after cancer made Deborah James realise how ‘special’ the connection she shared with her banker husband Sebastien was. 

But if things had worked out differently, the BBC podcaster, 40, would have faced her five-year cancer battle as a single woman.  

The pair, who married in July 2008, and shared son Hugo, 14, and daughter, Eloise, 12, were in the midst of divorce proceedings in 2016, before rekindling their relationship a month before Deborah’s diagnosis of incurable bowel cancer.

But the ‘bowel babe’ urged her City banker husband, 42, to find love after her death, with the caveat: ‘Don’t be taken for a ride, don’t marry a bimbo’. 

Sebastien will now face raising their two children alone, while balancing his career as a banker. 

Before her diagnosis, Deborah was an ambitious deputy head teacher who’d been brought in to turn around a failing comprehensive in Surrey. 

It meant she and Sebastien, were always stressed and barely saw each other. ‘It was a classic case of our marriage coming last,’ she told the Daily Mail in 2020.

Sebastien moved out in 2015 and they embarked on an initially ‘acrimonious’ divorce, both hiring lawyers and starting to see other people. Deborah even went on some ‘hideous’ Tinder dates.

They’d already had the decree nisi when they agreed to counselling, not with any hope of a reconciliation, but simply to be on more cordial terms for the children.

Then, to Deborah’s astonishment, the pair began having drinks, then dinner, after the sessions.

In November 2016, they made ‘a big step’ and got back together, only for Deborah to receive her shock diagnosis soon after.

‘Some days I crave the attention, just wanting to feel desired,’ she told the Daily Mail.

‘Other days, my husband can’t sneeze near me without getting his head bitten off. Understandably navigating that — for both of us — is hard.’

However, she said, ‘One of the good things about cancer is it makes you reassess your relationship. It’s crunch time. You think: ‘Do I really want to be with this person?’ And if you don’t, then it’s ‘Bye!’ as life really is short.

‘But cancer can also make you realise how special your connection is, and that’s where we are: in a good place.’

The University of Edinburgh graduate works for Pomona Capital, a Mayfair-based private equity firm and previously was a director at MetLife Investments.

In August, Deborah shared a sweet video of the pair dancing together in the South of France with a sweet caption thanking her husband for ‘holding her hand in the darkness and dancing her back into the light’.

She wrote:  ’13 Years of marriage. My Rock.  It was our wedding anniversary earlier this week. Some days the weight of what that means in an uncertain future can be too much.

‘Then it’s the closing of new day. A new day you are grateful to see. A new day you didn’t think you’d feel well in. And you dance. As your lids laugh and film. The sun sets, and you realise how wonderful it is to reach another milestone (and you park the sadness). 

‘And you smile. And you are at one in the moment only. Because for any of us that’s all we ever have anyway. And you give thanks to have people in your life that are the very back bone you remain upright on.

‘Sebastien – Thank you for holding my hand in the darkness and dancing me back into the light. I love you. Always’.

The couple often celebrated their anniversary and took moments to be romantic. 

In 2019, Deborah shared a sweet picture of the pair kissing at a London bar writing: ’11 years ago today we ‘officially’ got married. 

‘We then had our wedding a few weeks later in France so we normally celebrate then and @sebastienbowen always remembers the correct date (it’s the 26th!!)- but any excuse for a nice meal and a cheeky snog?! 

‘I don’t do cheesy declarations very well – but I love this man very much so. Thanks for being my rock.’

She often posted sweet pictures and tributes to her husband on social media, on his 40th birthday in 2019 she wrote: ‘Happy 40th to this brilliant man. So proud of you. Thanks for being my rock and my blanket. For being there in sickness, in health, in the fun times and the bad times. We love you” 

On another occasion she shared a picture of the pair kissing in Kew Gardens with the caption: ’12 years ago I said yes in this same spot’.

Sebastien, who attended the £13,788-a-term St Paul’s School in west London has an impressive career with 20 years of primary and secondary fund investing experience. 

How her parent’s love kept Deborah James going: ‘Bowel gran’, 64, who ‘relentlessly nursed’ BBC podcaster back to health ‘again, and again and again’ – while her ‘behind-the-scenes’ father ‘held her up’

Deborah’s parents Heather and Alistair were endlessly supportive of their daughter, with the couple welcoming their daughter into their home in Woking during the final weeks of her life for hospice care. 

Her mother Heather, grandmother-to-four and mother-to-three, was a constant support for the former deputy head teacher turned cancer campaigner, who had been living with stage four bowel cancer since she was diagnosed in December 2016.

She was by her side during countless hospital stays, joined in with Deborah’s viral ‘chemo dances’, in which the pair would shake a leg to help the presenter get through another chemotherapy cycle, and cared for her grandchildren ‘at the drop of a hat’.

Meanwhile her father Alistair took a more low-key approach, and made fewer public appearances on her social media page – but in her final weeks, Deborah paid tribute to her father and spoke of her love for him. 

Heather – who is a pre-school gymnastic coach – had also ensured Deborah’s fans are kept up-to-date with her condition, by sharing updates on her own Instagram page @bowelgran, and stepped in for her daughter when she was too unwell to make events.

One such occasion was to launch the ‘No Butts’ campaign alongside Lorraine Kelly, which aimed to raise awareness of bowel cancer on the Scottish host’s daytime programme from 19 April to 5 May.

Praising her mother’s appearance, Deborah said on Instagram: ‘I’m so proud of my mum today for stepping in to help launch the #NoButts campaign with @lorraine.

‘This campaign is something I’m so passionate about. So of course I’m gutted not to be well enough to be there in person (yet!).’

Deborah was equally full of praise for her mother on Heather’s birthday last year, writing online: ‘Thank you for everything you do for all of us, especially for relentlessly nursing me back to health, again, and again and again! 

‘From hiding in my hospital room to ensure I get my drugs, to sleeping on the sofa with me when I’m scared, to cutting up my toast into tiny squares so I can just nibble them when not hungry! 

‘To being there for my kids at the drop of a hat, and for being up for any form of dancing, fashion parade or crazy game I come up with! I’m fully aware where I get most of my ‘quirky’ traits from! 

‘I’m hoping you can spend the day not worrying about me,’ she concluded.

The following day, Deborah posted a video as she danced to Stayin’ Alive by the Bee Gees in the garden with her mother while wearing matching outfits. 

‘It’s chemo dance time! You know each cycle I dance whilst attached to the pump,’ she explained in her caption. But with with my kids in France, my mum has stepped up this time! Seeing as she’s literally been nursing me every second for the last month, keeping me alive, I don’t think there could ever be a more apt routine!!’

‘Here’s to another chemo cycle and to mothers helping us through them,’ wrote the mother-of-two.

In January, Heather shared a snap to Instagram showing her posing with her daughter in a hospital bed as she explained that the presenter had undergone five operations in 10 days following a medical emergency during which she almost died.

She said: ‘How she does it time and time again blows me away. It’s early hours, but it went to plan. 

‘The aim was to internalised her bile stent if it was working which so far it seems to be.

‘Obviously now she’s kept under close monitoring but she’s really happy (and emotional) because she has no drains for the first time in weeks. 

‘We just have to pray she remains stable for the foreseeable future now. Due to the operation today, I was allowed to see her briefly as her nominated visitor – which I’m grateful for.’

Heather continued: ‘Visiting in Covid is a really hard balance and it’s heartbreaking that families can’t see their loved ones more – I can’t imagine what families went through in full lock down (including in our own family). 

‘Deborah certainly needs the support hence why I was allowed in, but risk has to be kept super low. 

‘Mental health is so important though, we can’t underestimate how it helps with recovery. I see it with Deborah. I recall times pre Covid when I used to sleep in the same room over night! 

‘As is usual she asked for her make up as soon as she came round which is always a good sign!’  She went on to hashtag the post with #MotherDaughter and #OneDayAtATime.

In her final podcast, Deborah revealed she had decided to live out her days at her parents’ bungalow in Woking to spare her children from constant reminders in their London home – and because she can’t get up the stairs to use the lavatory.

Meanwhile Deborah called her father Alistair her ‘unsung hero’, telling The Sun: ‘I’ve not always been a big one for telling Dad how much I love him, so take it from me, just say it. You never know when it might be your last chance.’

She continued: ‘He’s quietly there behind the scenes, making sure I am OK.

‘He’s always been a very calming, loving presence in my life — he’s very good at handling me and all my craziness. His patience knows no bounds.’

Meanwhile she added: ‘It breaks my heart knowing they are having to watch this, I can’t imagine what it must feel like.’ 

Shortly after an Instagram post was shared to Deborah’s page announcing the news last night, Heather reposted the image, saying she was ‘heartbroken’ by her daughter’s death. 

The children whom she hoped to shield from the worst parts of her final moments: How dedicated mother Deborah spoke of her love for son Hugo, 14, and daughter Eloise, 12

In the final weeks of her life, a tearful Deborah James revealed that she planned her death and wanted to ‘slip away’ while ‘listening to her family’ after ‘one last cuddle with my children’.

The former head teacher turned podcaster often spoke of her love for her son Hugo, 14, and daughter, Eloise, 12, and her regret that she wouldn’t see them grow up. 

The mother-of-two regularly shared posts on Instagram of her children, posting videos of them dancing with one another and enjoying the lighter moments of life. 

As her life came to an end, she said she wanted to die at her parents’ house in Woking, to spare son, Hugo and Eloise from constant reminders in their London home.

Deborah said she had written letters for her children to help them with their first dates and wedding days, and planned to buy Hugo ‘a nice pen or wallet or cufflinks’ and Eloise ‘Tiffany bracelets and earrings’ to remember her – as well as some presents and postcards from her for the future. 

The heartbreaking interview with The Times she also revealed how she will record letters for her children to open after she’s died, including advice for them on how to act on a first date or what to do on their wedding day. 

Speaking to The Times she said the experience had been ‘hideous’, adding: ‘ My first thought was [that] I don’t want my children to see me like this. I didn’t think I would be able to speak to them without crying, but I’d love one last cuddle with them.

‘We have had a string of emotional conversations that have escalated very quickly from supportive care to end-of-life care.’

She said she was trying to ‘compartmentalise’ her death so that she could focus on her ‘to-do death list’ which includes making memory boxes and recording letters and ‘funny messages’ for her children.

‘I know materialistic things don’t matter, but I want to buy Hugo a nice pen or wallet or cufflinks,’ she said. ‘I’m going to buy my daughter some Tiffany bracelets and earrings.

‘They will have all the memories, but I want them to have a few presents in the future. I also want to write them postcards, but I have to be honest, I get really tired.’

She added: ‘At 12 and 14 I hope they will remember me, but [they are] still very young, so my image will fade and they will have to rely on videos or photos.’

Meanwhile in other interviews, she said she was devastated she wouldn’t see her children grow up, telling BBC: ‘I know that my kids are going to be more than looked after and surrounded by love.

‘You always want to know as a mother – are your kids going to be okay?

‘And my kids are going to be fine. But it doesn’t mean I’m not going to miss every chance I could have had with them.’

And in the final weeks of her life, she said she hoped to protect them from the worst moments of her illness, saying: ‘I feel very strongly that I don’t want my kids to see me agitated and distressed. 

‘I want to make sure they see me when I’m having a good days.’

Saying the ‘pressure’ on her young children was ‘huge’, she continued: ‘I want them to have nice memories.

‘I don’t want them to take on the burden of having to care for me, massage my legs because I can’t walk. That would break my heart.’

She recalled seeing her grandparents when they were unwell and said she was determined that Eloise and Hugo won’t see that and will have good memories.

Last month, when Prince William met the mother-of-two at her parent’s home in Woking to make her a Dame, he said: ‘I met her children as well. It was very difficult talking to them about it but they seem to have been talking about the situation a lot.

‘That’s so important in those moment that the family talk and communicate about it and the children are brought into what is going on.

The siblings who offered some joy and comfort in the final days of her life: How Deborah’s brother finally popped the question to his girlfriend – while her sister never left her side 

In the final weeks of her life, Deborah was surrounded by her brother and sister, whom appeared to bring some lighter moments to her difficult battle. 

Her younger sister Sarah Wieczorek, 38, works as an Executive Advisor at Environment Agency and has two young daughters herself, while her brother Ben recently got engaged to his long-term girlfriend Ashley. 

The family appear close-knit, with the siblings appearing to spend many of Deborah’s final days with her at their parents bungalow in Woking. 

The pair frequently supported Deborah’s campaigning and fundraising efforts, sharing links to her blogposts and articles online, as well as running races in aid of Bowel Cancer UK.

 

There was some happy news for the family in the last month, after Ben popped the question to his partner Ashley. 

Deborah shared the news online, writing: ‘Ashley Hall and Benjamin James have finally ‘put a ring on it’. I cried and cried…Even Prince William asked my brother why he hadn’t done it yet.’

Posting a gallery of snaps online, the mother-of-two wrote: ‘He finally put a ring on it! Congratulations to @benjaminrjames and @ashleyclairehall for finally getting engaged after 11 years!

‘If you ever followed my podcasts, brother banter features highly, and even Prince William joined in on the action recently!

‘The question to my brother has always been why haven’t you proposed! As a family everyone knew they both wanted to, it wasn’t like the it’s been off the cards it’s just always been apparently about ‘the right time’.’

She continued: ‘So they finally did it and then face timed me from Cornwall and then friends all afterwards – my mouth was still opened for the rest of the day. 

‘I couldn’t be prouder to be able to finally say that @ashleyclairehall will be my sister in law – I adore her. And she makes @benjaminrjames happy which is all that matters and vice versa.’

Deborah added: ‘Of course I’m sad I won’t see the wedding but it gave me an excuse to throw my last impromptu party (and I even sat at the table for a bit of it!!).’

Deborah told The Sun on Father’s Day she was devastated not to see her brother become a father, saying: ‘My brother will be the most amazing dad. I am so pleased he is engaged, I love Ashley and they are so happy together.

‘I have watched him with my kids over the years, and especially recently. He’s that incredible fun uncle, he and Ashley spoil them rotten.

‘And he’s wonderful with his godchildren too. It breaks my heart that I won’t see their kids, or see the dad he will be.

‘But I know, without a doubt, he will be incredible.’

Meanwhile she recently revealed he and Ashley planned to go on holiday to the US, and that she had faced a heartbreaking goodbye with her brother.

Speaking to The Sun just seven days ago, she said of her brother Ben: “He’s off on holiday to the US tomorrow. I have told him they have to go, they’ve planned the trip for ages. I also told him he must not come back, under any circumstances. 

‘He says he’ll come home. It’ll be horrible saying goodbye to him. I can’t really think about it right now.’

It is unknown if Ben did travel to the US for his trip, or whether he will return to the UK following Deborah’s passing. 

Deborah also credited her sister with being ‘unflappable’ and ‘always by her side’. The 38-year-old appeared to be a stabilising presence for Deborah in the final years of her life, suggesting trips out and about to cheer her up and create wonderful memories together.

In an Instagram post in 2020, Deborah wrote: ‘To my sister Sarah – who still whips me along – thank you for carrying me when I have no strength.’

In the last weeks of her life, she organised a girly sleepover for the family in Heather and Alistair’s Woking home. 

Family of Dame Deborah James say heartfelt final farewell at her funeral: Husband, son and daughter give tributes to £7M cancer campaigner at funeral attended by celebrities including McFly’s Tom Fletcher and Lorraine Kelly 

The husband and two young children of Dame Deborah James have left church today after paying a heartfelt farewell to the cancer campaigner alongside family, friends and celebrities including McFly’s Tom Fletcher, Lorraine Kelly and Gaby Roslin. 

The service saw husband Sebastien deliver a eulogy while their children Hugo, 14, and 12-year-old Eloise, both read poems.

Family friend and classically trained jazz singer Natalie Rushdie, who is married to novelist Salman Rushdie’s son Zafar, sang Tell Me It’s Not True from the musical Blood Brothers.

Cellist Charles Watt played music from Gabriel Faure, while family friend Sarah Mountford read an extract from Ecclesiastes.

After the service, the family left St Mary’s Church in Barnes, south-west London with bowed heads for a private wake, while Dame Deborah’s wicker coffin – adorned with a rose that was named in her honour – was carried away by car. The Rev David Cooke stood at the gates to wish the mourners farewell.

Dame Deborah, a podcast host and mother of two who became known as Bowelbabe – after her social media handle – died last month aged 40 after being diagnosed with bowel cancer today in 2016. 

TV presenters Kelly and Roslin – who were both friends of Dame Deborah – were seen filing out of the church alongside family members carrying a wreath of white flowers. Tom Fletcher and his podcaster wife Giovanna were pictured holding hands as they left.  

This morning, Dame Deborah’s coffin pulled up at the church in a vintage Rolls-Royce hearse followed by more than a dozen members of her family. 

A note held by one of the mourners said: ‘Deborah, thank you to our extraordinary friend. You, together with Seb, Eloise and Hugo are such an important part of our family, we will love and miss you forever.’ 

Dame Deborah, a former deputy headteacher, was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2016 and subsequently kept her nearly one million Instagram followers up to date with her treatments.

Her candid posts about her progress and diagnosis, including videos of her dancing her way through treatment, won praise from the public and media alike.

Dame Deborah revealed in early May that she had stopped active treatment and was seeing out her final days at her parents’ home in Woking, Surrey. 

She received end-of-life care with her husband, Sebastien, and their two children, 14-year-old son Hugo and 12-year-old daughter Eloise, by her side,

In her final months, the presenter of the BBC podcast You, Me And The Big C raised almost £7 million for cancer research, with the amount climbing further following her death.

Dame Deborah was made a dame for her ‘tireless’ work improving awareness of the disease, with the honour conferred by the Duke of Cambridge, who joined her family for afternoon tea and champagne at home.

Her death was announced on June 28 with a message saying she had died peacefully, surrounded by her family.

William and Kate, charities, celebrities and many whose lives have been affected by cancer shared tributes.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dame Deborah saved our lives: Cancer survivors praise the campaigner for raising awareness – as one mother says, ‘I realised if she could get cancer then so could I’

Dame Deborah James campaigned tirelessly to raise awareness of bowel cancer symptoms as she battled the disease herself, and in the process saved the lives of countless others who sought an early diagnosis. 

Cancer survivors from across the UK have thanked Dame Deborah for her selfless work, telling how they went to the GP after hearing her story during her regular TV appearances and episodes of her BBC podcast You, Me and the Big C. 

‘Without her campaigning I wouldn’t have kept going back to me GP,’ survivor Teresa Whitfield said today. ‘She triggered something in me. And I’m now cancer free. She did save my life. I can only say thank you. Without her I don’t think I would be here today.’

BBC Radio 1 DJ Adele Roberts, who last month announced she had been given the all-clear after receiving treatment for bowel cancer, was also helped by Dame Deborah’s efforts. 

‘I truly believe what Deborah and others like her have done to get the message out – that bowel cancer can happen to anyone, at any age – was a huge factor in Adele’s symptoms being taken seriously and getting her seen for a colonoscopy as quickly as she was,’ her girlfriend Kate Holderness said. 

Dame Deborah’s death was announced on Instagram last night in a post that revealed that she was surrounded by her family after months of end of life care at her parents’ house in Surrey. 

In a poignant message to her 1million followers, it said that Dame Deborah’s final message to them was: ‘Find a life worth enjoying; take risks; love deeply; have no regrets; and always, always have rebellious hope. And finally, check your poo – it could just save your life’. 

The campaigner’s Bowelbabe fund surged past £6.8million in the hours after it was revealed the mother-of-two had passed away.

She is survived by her two children Hugo, 14, and Eloise, 12, and her husband Sebastien.

Here, a look at just some of the lives Dame Deborah impacted… 

I THOUGHT ‘IF SHE CAN HAVE CANCER THEN SO CAN I’ 

Bowel cancer survivor Margaret Murtagh, 41, from London, told how listening to Dame Deborah James’ podcast saved her life after realising she was suffering from similar symptoms, which she had initially dismissed because she was a busy, active single mother-of-two. 

Margaret Murtagh, 41 from London started experiencing a change in bowel habit and fatigue, she put it down to her diet and being a single mother-of-two. 

It was around the time of the death of BBC presenter Rachael Bland, Deborah’s podcast co-host, who lost her battle with breast cancer in September 2018. 

Margaret recalled how she kept seeing Deborah on TV and online as news outlets covered Rachael Bland’s death. 

It was only when she followed Deborah’s ‘Bowelbabe’ Instagram account and listened to the You, Me and the Big C podcast that she realised she was experiencing what could be the symptoms of bowel cancer. 

‘It struck me really, really, really clearly. We were both of a similar age, with both had two kids, both lived in London, we were both runners, we were both healthy, we didn’t look like we could have cancer,’ she told GB News. 

‘I heard her story and I thought, “oh my gosh, if she can have cancer, then so can I”. That’s when I started taking my symptoms really seriously and I rang my GP the next day…

‘I was 38 when I was diagnosed, Deborah was 35. She made you think, “goodness, don’t just rest on your laurels and think I’m a runner, I eat loads of veg, I don’t eat processed meat.” 

‘Don’t just assume that you’re healthy, that you can’t get bowel cancer because you can. It happened to her and it happened to me.’ 

Margaret was diagnosed with stage 2 bowel cancer in January 2019. She underwent a colonoscopy and was later given the all-clear. 

MY SYMPTOMS WERE TAKEN SERIOUSLY 

Radio 1 DJ Adele Roberts, 43, who was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2021. On Monday, she revealed she has been given the all-clear. 

Adele Roberts underwent colostomy surgery to remove a bowel tumor after being diagnosed with cancer. Like Dame Deborah, Adele Roberts has offered a deeply personal look at her bowel cancer battle via social media. 

Following the news of the campaigner’s death, Roberts shared a simple post that read: ‘Thank you for everything Deborah. 

‘Thank you for being so strong for so long and helping others when you were in so much pain yourself.

‘You are the best of us. Thinking of your family and friends and I am forever grateful to you for helping me and my family.’

It came hours after she was given the all-clear from the disease. 

The DJ’s girlfriend Kate Holderness has spoken of how Dame Deborah’s tireless campaigning and fundraising efforts helped raise awareness of the disease to the point where Adele’s symptoms were ‘taken seriously’.

‘I truly believe what Deborah and others like her have done to get the message out – that bowel cancer can happen to anyone, at any age – was a huge factor in Adele’s symptoms being taken seriously and getting her seen for a colonoscopy as quickly as she was,’ Kate wrote on Instagram. 

‘Thank you for everything you’ve done Deborah, and for what your legacy will continue to do.’

I WAS CLEANING THE KITCHEN AND STOPPED IN MY TRACKS

Mother-of-four Tracey O’Keefe, of Glasgow, was diagnosed with anal cancer after watching Dame Deborah James on ITV’s Lorraine in April 2018. She recognised she was suffering from similar symptoms and insisted she was referred to a specialist.

‘I was just cleaning up the kitchen and I heard her talking about her symptoms,’ Tracey told Lorraine in a December 2018 appearance. 

“I looked at her and thought she didn’t look like somebody who would have cancer. And that really hit home because I thought, “I have all those symptoms too”.

Tracey had previously sought treatment for her symptoms but returned to the GP after watching the Lorraine segment and insisted on being referred to a specialist.

When she was met with delays on securing an appointment, Tracey took matters into her own hands and paid to see a doctor privately. 

She was diagnosed with a 4cm tumour. At the time of the interview, Tracey had received treatment and had a positive prognosis.  

Tracey admitted she had been embarrassed to seek help because her symptoms affected her bowels.

‘I was embarrassed and I apologised every time I went to the GP. I went in saying, “sorry, it’s me again, I’ve still got this. I’ve still got a wee bit of blood, I’m still pooing really strangely”.

‘It was a change in bowel habits, different shape, frequency, everything – all the classic symptoms.

‘I had the weight loss as well. Like Deborah, I did think it’s because I’m doing more yoga and I’m watching what I eat. But I had a gut feeling.’

‘DEBORAH, WITHOUT YOU I WOULD BE DEAD’

Marketing consultant Teresa Whitfield, 41, lives in south London with her husband and teenage daughter. She wrote an emotional open letter to Dame Deborah, published by OK!

‘I remember having an upset stomach and blood in my poo on holiday in July 2018 and thinking, my body’s trying to tell me something. I put it down to dodgy food,’ she wrote. 

‘But my poo didn’t look normal – more like undigested tomatoes – and I developed a pain on the left side of my abdomen. I didn’t know what the symptoms of bowel cancer were. It didn’t even register with me.

‘That October, I saw you raising awareness on the Lorraine show and the penny dropped like a stone. You spoke about bowel cancer so openly and a feeling of impending doom washed over me.’

Teresa was eventually diagnosed with stage 2 bowel cancer after seeking private treatment after her NHS GP failed to take her symptoms seriously.

She underwent an operation to remove a tumour and received chemotherapy. Now the proud mother-of-one is planning her retirement with her husband and looking forward to seeing her daughter grow up. 

‘Dame Deborah, without you I promise I’d be dead,’ she added.

SHE INSPIRED US TO LIVE LIFE TO THE FULL

Bowel cancer survivor Dr Anisha Patel, of Surrey, was diagnosed with stage 3 bowel cancer in September 2018, aged 39. She credits Dame Deborah with transforming the cancer community and showing everyone how to ‘live life to the full’. 

‘She stops us from feeling alone, we feel seen because of her,’ she told i.  ‘She has showed us there is life for those of us living with cancer and she has changed the terminology around it.

‘Just because you have stage four cancer doesn’t mean you are terminal, it means you are living with cancer. 

‘She inspires all of us to live life to the full and not take anything for granted.’

Dr Patel, a mother-of-two, said she thought she was suffering from new-onset IBS symptoms, including tiredness, some urgency in needing to go to the toilet and fresh blood on the toilet paper. 

‘I finally spoke to my husband [a consultant Gastroenterologist] about my symptoms as I felt that things weren’t settling. I knew something just wasn’t right, and he suggested I should get checked by a GP,’ she wrote in a Bowel Cancer UK post. 

Eventually Dr Patel was diagnosed with stage 3 bowel cancer. Since being given the all-clear, the GP has dedicated herself to raising awareness of the disease and frequently appears on ITV’s Lorraine to promote the NoButts campaign. 

She paid tribute to Dame Deborah: ‘You will never know the impact you had upon the millions of lives you touched in so many ways. And the legacy you leave will continue to do so.

‘You have been the beacon for Bowel cancer amongst so many other things. And a pillar for our cancer community.’

You can donate to Deborah James’ BowelBabeFund here.