Deborah James has revealed that she's encouraged her husband Sebastien to remarry after she dies – but she's got one condition for him.
The writer, podcaster, and cancer activist shared the devastating news this week that, after living with bowel cancer for the past five years, she has stopped pursuing active care, and has moved to hospice at home care.
As she spends her final days at her parents' home surrounded by her family, Deborah has been working through what she has called 'death admin', tying up loose ends and making arrangements before she passes away, which has included considering what life will be like for her husband and their children Hugo, 14, and Eloise, 12, when she's gone.
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Speaking about her husband in one of her final interviews, Deborah told The Times: "I have given him strict instructions: I want him to move on."
Sharing her hilarious but equally heartbreaking condition, she continued: "He’s a handsome man, I’m, like, 'Don’t be taken for a ride, don’t marry a bimbo, find someone else who can make you laugh like we did'."
Deborah has been married to Sebastien for 13 years, and the pair have stuck together through their ups and downs. The couple even briefly considered divorce just before she was first diagnosed with bowel cancer.
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In a column she wrote for The Sun back in 2018, Deborah sang her husband's praises, describing him as the 'glue that holds [her] together'.
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She wrote: "Sebastien, my husband, like other partners coping with their loved ones having a serious illness, is the only one there at 3am helping me through my fifth panic attack of the week," she wrote.
"He's the one wiping my tears, telling me it will be OK. He's the one worrying in the waiting room while I go under the knife hoping my surgeons can cut out another tumour.
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"He's the one hoping, like I do, that each treatment can give me more time – US more time."
Since her diagnosis, Deborah has had a total of 17 tumours removed, and undergone a number of surgeries and treatments for bleeding and other infections.
Announcing her news to supporters this week, Deborah revealed that 'nobody knows how long [she's] got left'.
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She concluded by sharing a link to a fundraiser she had created to 'raise awareness and money for the charities that are closest to [her]', including Cancer Research UK, Bowel Cancer UK, and Royal Marsden Cancer Charity.
Within its first 24 hours, Deborah's 'Bowel Babe' fund raised over £1 million.
At the time of writing, her grand total has increased to an incredible £3,615,979.
You can donate to Deborah's Bowel Babe fund here.
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If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact Macmillan’s Cancer Support Line on 0808 808 00 00, 8am–8pm seven days a week
Topics: Celebrity
Ali Condon