Dame Deborah James celebrates her new book topping Amazon bestsellers chart in just 24 hours as she leaves her house for the first time since she moved to hospice care at home 10 days ago
- The newly awarded dame has now raised more than £6.3million for charity
- Prince William hand-delivered her gong, spending time with her family
- How to Live When You Could Be Dead has overtaken The Man Who Died Twice
Dame Deborah James told of her pride yesterday as her new book topped Amazon’s bestsellers chart just 24 hours after it was announced.
The cancer campaigner, known as the Bowel Babe, wrote on Instagram: ‘I’m blown away and utterly grateful by the response… and the sheer numbers of you who have kindly ordered it.’
Dame Deborah, 40, who is receiving end-of-life care for stage four bowel cancer, said she was ‘gutted’ she will not live to see her second book published on August 18.
James’s book, which is out in August, overtook Richard Osman’s mystery novel on Amazon
Prince William hand-delivered the dame’s honour, visiting James and her husband Seb (right)
Proceeds of the book sales will benefit her Bowelbabe Fund for Cancer Research UK, which has raised more than £6.3million since it was launched last week. Deborah’s extraordinary fundraising efforts have been recognised with a damehood, which was conferred by Prince William in her parents’ back garden
How To Live When You Could Be Dead has now overtaken Richard Osman’s blockbuster mystery novel The Man Who Died Twice on Amazon’s chart through pre-orders alone.
For every edition sold in the UK, £3 will go to Dame Deborah’s Bowelbabe Fund for Cancer Research UK.
Donations have soared past £6.3million following the news that Dame Deborah has entered hospice care.
Prince William delivered her gong in person last Friday, spending time with the former podcast presenter’s husband Seb and children Hugo, 14, and Eloise, 12.
Yesterday Deborah was ‘whisked off’ to RHS Garden Wisley, in Surrey, on Wednesday morning by Sebastien, her husband of 14 years.
‘Seb is an utter rock for me and together we seem to be able to squeeze our hands, swallow the tears and laugh instead,’ she wrote, sharing a photo from the outing on Instagram.
The couple, who have been married since July 2008, and share 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. He has stood by her side ever since.
Deborah recently revealed she will not be alive to see the publication of her new book. The podcast host has spent two years writing her second book, but says it will be released in August, ‘long after I will be flying high’.
Proceeds of the book sales will benefit her Bowelbabe Fund for Cancer Research UK, which has raised more than £6.3million since it was launched last week.
Deborah’s extraordinary fundraising efforts have been recognised with a damehood, which was conferred by Prince William in her parents’ back garden.
Deborah was diagnosed with stage four 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.
At the start of the year, the mother-of-two, who shares her children Hugo, 14, and Eloise, 12, with Sebastien, announced she had ‘nearly died’ in hospital, calling it the ‘hardest’ part of her 5-year cancer battle, and was admitted as an in-patient earlier this month.
She shared an Instagram post last week revealing that ‘nobody knows how long she has left’.
She wrote: ‘The message I never wanted to write. We have tried everything, but my body simply isn’t playing ball.
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’
Deborah James (pictured) was honoured with a Damehood after raising millions of pounds for charity since last Monday as she revealed she was receiving end-of-life care
‘My active care has stopped and I am now moved to hospice at home care, with my incredible family all around me and the focus is on making sure I’m not in pain and spending time with them.’
She is receiving hospice care at her parents’ home in Woking, to spare her children the difficult memories of her spending her final days at the family home in London.
Deborah, who hosted the You, Me and the Big C podcast, has dedicated her final weeks to raising funds for Cancer Research UK. Her new book will also raise money for research and treatment.
Announcing the project yesterday, Deborah wrote: ‘I wrote another book!! So I’ve got a few things to share with you before I die that I’m gutted I won’t see in real life! But I’ve now been granted permission to share them and I’m really excited!
‘For the last 2 years I’ve been working on my second book How to Live when you could be Dead – oh the irony of the title! I wanted to share all my (hard-won!!) learning on how to have a positive mindset when we are faced with life’s biggest challenges.
‘Whilst it is in its final edits, as anyone in publishing will know, suddenly changing book publication dates (regardless of health!) isn’t an easy feat. It was originally due out Jan 2023!!!
‘All things considered, Penguin have managed to put it on pre-order and are aiming to publish it on the 18th August! It is still long after I’m flying high, but hopefully a little less longer for you to wait.
‘We have worked really hard over the last few days to ensure the book benefits Bowelbabe Fund as much as possible. All my royalties will go to the fund and Penguin have kindly agreed to make an additional contribution per book. Altogether the donation per book will be £3.’
The former deputy headteacher said she was ‘blown away to be made a Dame’.
‘I don’t feel like I deserve this,’ she said. ‘I can’t tell you what this means to my family, it’s so much to take in.’
Damehoods and knighthoods are usually listed in the New Year or Queen’s Birthday Honours, but in exceptional circumstances some are announced at other times – as with Captain Sir Tom Moore.
The award was given to her by Prince William, who made the journey to her parents’ home to bestow the honour.
Sharing pictures of the meeting on Instagram, Dame Deborah wrote: ‘Prince William actually came to our family house today!
‘I am utterly honoured that he joined us for afternoon tea and champagne, where he not only spent a generous amount of time talking to my whole family but also honoured me with my Damehood.’
She said having a royal ‘pop in’ was surreal and joked that the cleaning antics before his arrival were ‘off the scale’.
The former headteacher (pictured right, with children Eloise, 12, Hugo, 14 and husband Sebastien Bowen) was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2016
Last Monday, Deborah announced that despite having 17 tumours removed and undergoing new procedures she has been moved to hospice care because her ‘body simply isn’t playing ball’
Dame Deborah’s children Hugo and Eloise said they were ‘speechless’ and ‘so, so proud’, while husband Seb said a damehood was ‘something that she would never have dreamt of but it is so truly deserved’.
Deborah has won a legion of online fans with her searingly honest account of her battle with bowel cancer. She received widespread support and thousands of messages of love last week when she revealed she is receiving end-of-life care.
In a tearful interview she said: ‘The one thing my family know is I am petrified of being alone. I don’t want to die alone.’ And when asked about the end of her life approaching she said: ‘I have moments when I just sob uncontrollably, but I can’t spend my last few days crying, it would be such a waste. So I’m trying to compartmentalise my death’.
She said she has started her ‘to-do death list’ to support son Hugo, 14, and daughter, Eloise, 12, when she is gone, and has urged her husband Sebastien to find love, with the caveat: ‘Don’t be taken for a ride, don’t marry a bimbo’.
Dame Deborah said she has written letters for her children to help them with their first dates and wedding days, and will 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 funeral is also planned where she will be cremated, but she hopes her ashes will be kept in the family kitchen ‘for a while’ before being scattered.
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