'The most amazing mummy': Tributes to Deborah James

As we've been reporting, donations have been flooding in to Dame Deborah's cancer research Bowelbabe fund.

In the hours since her family revealed her death, £100,000 has been raised - and the fund currently stands at over £6.8m.

For perspective, the fund was launched with an original goal of just £250,000 - so has exceeded Dame Deborah's target by over 27 times.

In Dame Deborah's final message, shared by her family, she urged people to "find a life worth enjoying".

She wrote: "Take risks; love deeply; have no regrets; and always, always have rebellious hope."

And it is clear she lived by this philosophy - particularly in the final weeks of her life.

She shared many of the highlights with the more than one million followers of her Instagram account.

Deborah JamesCopyright: Deborah James

Deborah JamesCopyright: Deborah James

Deborah JamesCopyright: Deborah James

Reaction to the death of Dame Deborah continues to flood in.

Health SecretarySajid Javid saluted an "incredible legacy", praising the podcaster for an "exceptional" fundraising campaign which started "important conversations" about cancer.

Cancer Research UK head Michelle Mitchell said she was "devastated" by the news, saying Dame Deborah "showed incredible support for the causes she cared about".

Campaigner, author and TV presenter Katie Piper addressed Dame Deborah directly in a tweet: "We will never forget you."

And businessman and Dragons' Den star Theo Paphitis said the broadcaster had left a "lasting legacy for so many".

As we reported earlier, Deborah James went from deputy headmaster, to cancer blogger, to Sun columnist, before becoming a BBC broadcaster.

Here's the front page of Wednesday's paper.

The SunCopyright: The Sun

Here's some more reaction - this time from the BBC.

"This is incredibly sad news. Dame Deborah James was a true inspiration," said director-general Tim Davie.

"We're so proud to have worked with her," he adds. "The way she talked about and faced up to her cancer moved the nation, inspired change and undoubtedly saved lives."

BBC Radio 5 Live controller Heidi Dawson added: "As colleagues and friends, we are all heartbroken."

Dawson continued: "She had the most incredible energy, a magnetism that drew you towards her.

"The messages from her listeners show the incredibly special connection she made."

.Copyright: .

• There are around 42,900 new bowel cancer cases in the UK every year - that's nearly 120 every day
• It is the fourth most common cancer in the UK, accounting for 11% of all new cancer cases

• There are around 16,800 bowel cancer deaths in the UK every year - 46 every day
• Bowel cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death in the UK, accounting for 10% of all cancer deaths
• But almost 6 in 10 (58.4%) of people diagnosed with bowel cancer in England survive their disease for five years or more

Source: Cancer Research UK

What are bowel cancer symptoms?

• A persistent change in bowel habit - going more often, with looser stools and sometimes tummy pain

• Blood in the stools without other symptoms, such as piles
• Abdominal pain, discomfort or bloating always brought on by eating

Source: NHS UK

Our colleagues at BBC Radio 5 Live have put together a special programme on the "extraordinary life" of their friend.

Tony Livesey celebrates "who Debs was, the remarkable things she achieved, the inspiration she gave others and her unmistakable legacy".

And if you'd like to hear the typically frank and searingly emotional final episode of her You, Me and the Big C podcast, "Deborah James' Last Dance", click here.

Dame Deborah went from deputy head teacher to cancer campaigner after her diagnosis in 2016.

After quitting her job in 2017 to launch an online blog documenting her treatment, the Sun gave her a column to share her story.

Lizzie Parry, Deborah’s editor at the newspaper for five-and-a-half years, paid tribute to her award-winning writing and said it was impossible to put her impact into words.

Quote Message: I’ve never known anyone with the same passion for life, it was infectious. She literally never stopped. There was always a new idea, a fresh way we could capture the imaginations of readers and encourage people to do everything in their power to avoid this horrible disease." from Lizzie Parry Head of health, the Sun

I’ve never known anyone with the same passion for life, it was infectious. She literally never stopped. There was always a new idea, a fresh way we could capture the imaginations of readers and encourage people to do everything in their power to avoid this horrible disease."

Here are some more of the tributes that have arrived for Dame Deborah.

Radio DJ Adele Roberts - who yesterday revealed that she was free of bowel cancer - tweeted: "Thank you for being so strong for so long and helping others when you were in so much pain yourself."

TalkTV presenter Piers Morgan called the podcaster "a truly remarkable and inspiring woman".

And comedian Mark Watson said Dame Deborah was "a person of unbelievable tenacity".

Here are some more of the tributes that are rolling in for Dame Deborah James.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer called Dame Deborah's charity work "truly inspirational".

NHS chief executive Amanda Pritchard said: "Deborah's amazing attitude was humbling and a lesson to us all."

Meanwhile, a tweet from Macmillan Cancer Support lauded Dame Deborah's "dedication to stand together with people with cancer".

And presenter of ITV's Good Morning Britain Charlotte Hawkins said Dame Deborah had "showed that even a terminal diagnosis wasn't going to stop her living life to the full".

Last month, Dame Deborah spoke to the BBC about her wish to see cancer beaten.

She said the success of her campaign to raise money for the Bowelbabe Fund left her feeling "utterly loved".

And she paid tribute to her family, for their help in setting up the fund so quickly.

Announcing her prognosis in May, Dame Deborah launched a new cancer research fund which has now raised nearly £6.8m (and rising) from more than 300,000 different donations, including from the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

Named after her Instagram handle, the Bowelbabe fund will pay for research into personalised medicine for cancer patients, as well as to support campaigns to raise awareness of bowel cancer.

She started the fund with a goal of raising £250,000 - which was shattered in less than 24 hours.

The money raised will primarily benefit three organisations:

• Cancer Research UK
• Bowel Cancer UK
• The Royal Marsden, a specialist cancer hospital in London

Tributes to Dame Demorah are pouring in from across the UK and beyond.

Carol Vorderman tweeted: "Rest in peace Bowelbabe. Your incredible spirit will live on."

Fellow TV presenter Gaby Roslin said: "Bye bye my beautiful friend Deborah.You will forever shine so brightly.

"Thank you for all you did. For the laughter, the dancing and most importantly for all you did in your short lifetime for others."

Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner described Dame Deborah as an "extraordinary campaigner", adding: "Thank you for your rebellious hope and the millions you have inspired Bowelbabe."

TV presenter Julia Bradbury said Dame Deborah was "the most incredible ambassador of life," adding "my thoughts are with her family and children. Such a huge loss".

After being diagnosed in 2016, Dame Deborah was a passionate campaigner for cancer treatment and early diagnosis.

According to the NHS, the key symptoms of bowel cancer are:

• A persistent change in bowel habit - going more often, with looser stools and sometimes tummy pain
• Blood in the stools without other symptoms, such as piles
• Abdominal pain, discomfort or bloating always brought on by eating

In her family's tribute to her following her death, one message rang out loud and clear:

Quote Message: And finally, check your poo – it could just save your life." from Deborah James family statement

And finally, check your poo – it could just save your life."

Genevieve Edwards, chief executive of Bowel Cancer UK, where Dame Deborah James was a patron, has paid this tribute:

"Deborah's star shone bright; she was a true inspiration. She turned her bowel cancer diagnosis into an incredible force for good and through her tireless campaigning to raise awareness of bowel cancer symptoms, will have saved countless lives.

Edwards added: "Even during her most difficult times living with bowel cancer, she never stopped helping others.

"We are truly grateful to have known Deborah and to call her our friend.

"She was a powerful patron for Bowel Cancer UK, and leaves a stunning legacy through her BowelBabe Fund, a testament to the love and admiration so many had for her."

BBCCopyright: BBC

As we just mentioned, Dame Deborah began co-presenting the You, Me and the Big C podcast alongside Lauren Mahon and BBC Radio 5 Live newsreader Rachael Bland in 2018.

They spoke to celebrity guests and addressed practical matters including hair loss, tips for dealing with finances, and telling your nearest and dearest.

Bland died at the age of 40 - six months after the show launched. She had been diagnosed with breast cancer two years earlier.

In her final episode of the podcast on 10 May 2022, James said her liver had stopped working over the previous six months and doctors had advised that more treatment was "fruitless".

James said hosting the podcast had given purpose back to her life after being diagnosed - adding the show had made her realise the influence she could have in "saving another life or making someone not feel alone".

Dame Deborah's mother Heather has paid tribute to her daughter and said her heart is "broken" after her death.

Heather James, whose goes by the handle Bowelgran on Instagram, shared a series of photos of Dame Deborah, ending the post with: "Love you forever."

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

• Dame Deborah was married to Sebastien Bowen, a banker, for 13 years, with whom she had two children - Hugo and Eloise
• She was diagnosed with stage three bowel cancer at the age of 35 in December 2016
• After her diagnosis, she left her job as a deputy head teacher and began writing a blog, which went on to become her award-winning, weekly column Things Cancer Made Me Say, in The Sun online
• Dame Deborah then became a presenter of the BBC podcast You, Me And The Big C alongside Lauren Mahon and Rachael Bland, in which the trio discussed the reality of living with cancer

• She was a keen runner who described herself as loving fashion, make-up and jewellery

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