Friday 17 June 2022 11:13 PM Emotional Dame Deborah James, 40, praises the 'incredible' men in her life for ... trends now
Dame Deborah James has reflected on the loving support of her father Alistair as her family prepares for a heart-wrenching Father's Day.
The much-loved activist, 40, who is in the final stages of bowel cancer, is looking forward to celebrating the day with her husband Seb, children Hugo, 14, and Eloise, 12, as well as her father and mother Heather.
Now receiving palliative care at her parents' home in Woking, Surrey, she says she will mark the day with 'a whisky or two' with her father who she called her 'unsung hero,' The Sun reports.
She said: '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.
'It's too hard to think about, the idea I won’t see my son as a father.'
Now receiving palliative care at her parents' home in Woking, Surrey, Dame Deborah James says she will mark the day with 'a whisky or two' with her father Alistair who she called her 'unsung hero,
Dame Deborah James, 40, who's receiving hospice care at her parents' home in Woking, made the short journey to Royal Ascot yesterday, a day she described on Instagram as a 'fab milestone'
Prince William meets with Deborah James to award her her Damehood last month for her tireless campaigning and fundraising for cancer research
Dame Deborah also revealed her husband Seb is an 'incredible' father to their two children.
And she was thrilled when her brother Ben proposed to his girlfriend of 11 years Ashley.
She added: 'For me, this year it’s about my dad and Seb, but it’s also about the men in my life who will hopefully one day be fathers too, my son and brother.'
Yesterday, Dame Deborah revealed she was given just days to live when she was released from hospital last month - and insisted her day at Royal Ascot was a 'fab milestone' that proves she 'ain't dead yet'.
The mother-of-two has been making the most of the time she has left after revealing last month that she's no longer receiving active treatment for her cancer.
In that time, she has been on a number of outings, including watching opera at Glyndebourne, enjoying a trip after hours to the Chelsea Flower Show and lunch at the £700-a-night Beaverbrook estate in Leatherhead, Surrey.
Dame Deborah (centre, with husband Sebastien Bowen left, while children Eloise, 12 and Hugo, 14, back) told her more than 630,000 Instagram followers how 'kind' William (right) 'made everyone feel at ease', adding that he was 'welcome back any time.'
'Prince William actually came to our house!': Deborah shares pictures from the Duke of Cambridge's visit on Friday, in which he awarded her her Damehood
Deborah pictured with her brother Benjamin and his fiancé Ashley Hall (far right) said memories were made during the special day out
Deobrah revealed she was given just days to live when she was released from hospital to have palliative care at home last month
She also revealed she had a 'gut instinct that something wasn't right' before her bowel cancer diagnosis in her final TV appearance on E4's Embarrassing Bodies which aired yesterday evening.
Sharing a clip from the programme on her Instagram stories today, Deborah explained: 'I recorded this with the Embarrassing Bodies team a good while ago but it's out tonight.
In the clip, she explained: 'I started going to the poo - we need to say that - eight times a day. And I used to be a once-a-day kind of girl.
On Wednesday, the former deputy headteacher turned bowel cancer campaigner attended Royal Ascot, just a 30-mile trip from her parents' home, with family members including her brother Ben.
She took to Instagram to reveal how much she had enjoyed the special day out, describing it as a 'fab milestone to say "I ain't dead yet".'
The former schoolteacher, a mother of two, was also snapped with jazz singer Natalie Rushdie while at Ascot yesterday
Dame Deborah James, 40, has joked she'll have an old cocktail every day until she's 'gone' in a bittersweet Instagram story as she is receiving palliative care at her parents' home in Woking
The campaigner, who was diagnosed with cancer in 2015, also shared a post by In The Style urging people to snap up more of their Rebellious Hope collaboration to add another £1million to her Bowelbabe Fund, which currently stands at £6,707,653
Earlier this month, Deborah vowed to 'still live whilst dying' after sharing comparison photographs while visiting Glyndebourne opera with her husband Sebastien, pictured
In a touching post on the social media platform, she wrote: 'Yesterday was really special as with a lot of effort and help I actually made it to Ascot Race Course once again.
'I honestly have to pinch myself that I’ve been well enough each day to do something like this. Another favourite I'd had in mind and a fab milestone to say "ain't dead yet!"
'Obviously like most haven’t been for a while due to Covid, but so nice to be back and thank you to
