Wednesday 29 June 2022 12:15 PM Tears for Dame Deborah James: Lorraine and Susanna Reid emotional as they pay ... trends now

ITV presenters Lorraine Kelly, Susannah Reidand Holly Willoughby became emotional as they paid tribute to their 'remarkable' friend Dame Deborah James on TV today, following her death from bowel cancer aged just 40. 

Dame Deborah, who raised more than £6million for cancer research in the final weeks of her life, was a regular on Lorraine's ITV morning show as she raised awareness of the symptoms of bowel cancer. 

Wearing a pink jacket, a nod to Dame Deborah's favourite colour, and one of the campaigner's 'Rebellious Hope' fundraising t-shirts, Lorraine held back tears as she remembered her friend's 'remarkable energy' on this morning's programme. 

'We knew this was going to happen but it still doesn't seem quite real,' she said, her eyes welling up. 

This Morning's Holly said: 'What she has done will go on to save lives of so many other people and maybe that is her greatest legacy.' 

GMB's Susannah Reid added: 'We are all going to celebrate her life and her achievements but what a loss.'

It came as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge shared their own personal tribute to Dame Deborah, saying she was an 'inspirational and unfalteringly brave woman whose legacy will live on'. 

Prince William cleared his diary and travelled to her parents' home in Woking, Surrey, in mid-May to perform an honours ceremony at a tea party celebrating her extraordinary life.

The second in line to the throne and his wife had been deeply moved by her campaigning and bravery and paid a moving tribute to the mother-of-two, who is is survived by her two children Hugo, 14, and Eloise, 12, and her husband Sebastien.

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. 

The campaigner's Bowelbabe fund surged past £6.8million in the hours after it was revealed the mother-of-two had passed away as people described how her tireless campaigning while she battled terminal cancer herself had saved their lives.

She came to public prominence when she co-hosted the You, Me And The Big C podcast with Lauren Mahon and Rachael Bland. BBC newsreader Ms Bland died in September 2018, also aged 40, from breast cancer.

Ms Bland's widower, Steve, joined Lorraine to remember Dame Deborah. 

He said: 'Last night was very odd, very surreal, very numb and then I was awake again at the crack of dawn this morning and it just hit me. This moment that we've known for five years that it's coming - five and a half years since it was diagnosed, it was already incurable.

'I think that makes what she's done in those five and a half years, what she's packed in and the people that she's helped, and the lives that she's saved, all the more remarkable. This was just never an easy ride for her and she's done so much, and we're so proud of her.' 

Lorraine reflected on her 'remarkable energy', saying: 'You knew her really well, as did your wife Rachel. I just don’t know where Deborah got her remarkable energy. 

'She was one of those people who was like, "this needs to be done so I am going to do it. That needs to happen right now and I'm doing it". And she did.'

Steve quipped: 'It was often the power of steroids. When she was on one of her steroids she used to bombard us and you would just wake up in the morning and there would be 100 messages of all these different ideas. 

'She had an unbelievable zest for life and lived every single moment...no more so than the last seven or so weeks…'

He was alluding to the numerous things Deborah had done while she was receiving end-of-life care including releasing a clothing line, continued campaigning and becoming a dame.  

Steve said: 'Honestly who does that? It's just madness.' 

Lorraine continued: ‘Our thoughts are with her family. She was with her family at the end. That’s what she wanted.' 

She added that Deborah did things on her own terms and was 'very matter of fact' about everything.

Steve replied: 'I think she [Deborah] actually took a lot of inspiration from Rachel in the way that she tackled the last five or six weeks. I know she was messaging me last week, asking about how I organised the funeral and all that kind of thing. She was just super organised and did it on her terms.

'Deb and Rachel used to talk a lot about being in denial, using denial as a really powerful tool, but I've always thought that actually does them a bit of a disservice, because Debs knew exactly what was happening to her, yet she stared it right in the face and lived life as hard as she possibly could, for as long as she possibly could.

'I talked to her so much about living and the way that she died, she would have given anything for another week, another month, another year with her wonderful family…'

Lorraine also spoke to producer Helen Addis, who had breast cancer in 2018 and thought up the 'No Buts Campaign' with Deborah.

Helen said: 'We said we need to get the nation talking more about poo so got on this mission. It's not just what she has done for bowel cancer but what she has done for the bowel cancer community has been phenomenal.

'She was such an inspiration for me personally and other people in the cancer community. It made everybody think if Debs can do it we can get through it. To us she was invincible.' 

Dr Hilary, who worked alongside Deborah on the 'No Buts' campaign, described her as 'a sheer force of personality.'

He added: 'She has created a legacy that will benefit so many people. She's saved lives already and she will go on to save hundreds more. Because she's raised awareness of the symptoms, which is so important. She's removed the stigma and embarrassment about talking about bottoms and butts and poo. And the money she's raised, which will go into research…

'If you want to talk about living with cancer, she is the epitome of how to live life to the full, despite a poor prognosis and outlook. She just went for it and she crammed into the last few years of her life what most people couldn't do in a whole lifetime.'

Lorraine earlier appeared on GMB to speak about Deborah, saying: 'It seems really strange because we knew this was coming but you kind of  don't think it's going to happen because she has bounced back so often.

'Back in January she was really, really ill and bounced back from that and we just thought she was going to be ok. But what a legacy, what a legacy. She has saved lives, she is remarkable and we are going to remember her with a lot of joy. Boy would she have made some politician. She was just a woman who got things done.'

Susanna added: 'We are all going to celebrate her life and her achievements but what a loss.'  

Actor Ben Richards told the show: 'It's amazing what she's done, it's a huge legacy. It's one of those things that not many people talk about.

'When they do, and Deborah was very much at the forefront of that, it makes a massive difference. It's all about learning the symptoms and the signs and if we get on top of that quickly things can be a lot better.  It's very, very sad and she has left a huge legacy.' 

He added: 'To turn that around as she has done and create something so amazing. Financially it is incredible what she has done but even more importantly she really put it out there so that people got talking again.'

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 message was accompanied by the always glamourous teacher turned broadcaster dancing on a balcony on holiday as the sun set behind her, as friends described her as a 'warrior' who 'taught us how to live and taught us how to die'.

Today there were tributes from all over the world including Boris Johnson, who said: 'What an inspiration she was to so many. The awareness she brought to bowel cancer and the research her campaigning has funded will be her enduring legacy. Because of her, many many lives will be saved.’

And cancer survivors thanked her for saving them. Teresa Whitfield was watching breakfast TV when she heard Dame Deborah describing her symptoms, which inspired Teresa to go to her GP immediately.

She said today: 'Without her campaigning I wouldn't have kept going back to me GP. 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'.

Dame Deborah's husband is yet to speak out about her death. But her mother Heather has said: 'My heart is broken. Love you forever'.

Many shared her final podcast from last month, where she signed off in tears, saying: 'I suppose that's it from me. I'm pleased that I have got to the point where I can say it and we'll see each other again, somewhere, dancing. And until then, please please enjoy life because it is so precious. All I want now is more time and more life. And check your poo. Come on. I can't leave on any other words'. 

Dame Deborah became a patron for Bowel Cancer UK following her diagnosis and worked to raise money and awareness of the charity.

Its chief executive Genevieve Edwards said her legacy would live on through her campaigning work and that she had a 'special gift' to connect with the public.

She said: 'Deborah has been an incredible force for good, for our charity and others. Since the day of her diagnosis she has shone a bright light on bowel cancer.

'She hasn't stopped in her tireless attempts to raise awareness. She has raised thousands and thousands of pounds for the causes close to her heart and even in the most difficult days personally for her she has never stopped helping others.

'Her star shone so bright and she will be missed by so many.'

Ms Edwards described Dame Deborah's legacy as 'huge' and said she had never seen so many conversations about bowel cancer taking place. She has shone a very powerful light on it,' she said.

'But her warmth and her compassion, her energy and her humour, really connected with people and made something which is often difficult to talk about okay to talk about.

'That has been her special gift - to connect with others and to have those difficult conversations. And in doing so prompt people to take action, and she has saved countless lives.' 

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.

On May 9, the mother-of-two shared a heartbreaking 'goodbye' message to her Instagram followers, revealing she was being moved into hospice-at-home care at her parents' house, while 'surrounded by family', because 'my body simply isn't playing ball.' 

While she said at the time that no one knew how long she may live, she recently revealed she was given just days when she was released from hospital last month.

Deborah insisted she had left 'no stone unturned' during her search for 'magic medicine miracle'.

Deborah certainly made the most of the weeks she had while in hospice care, going on outings, and making memories with loved ones.

These trips included 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. 

She also had a day out at the races, going to Royal Ascot - just 30 minutes drive from her parents' Woking home - in mid-June, with family members including her brother Benjamin and his fiancee Ashley Hall.

Just days before she died, she told The Sun she was 'making sure her children only see her on good days' as she revealed she felt 'exhausted' amid her ongoing cancer battle. 

She added she had felt a 'deep love' from her family, saying: 'I think my family are knackered, they have all been incredible - going above and beyond to look after me and nurse me.' 

She added: '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.'

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 this week 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. 

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 today. 

'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

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