BBC presenter Deborah James (40) is terminally ill with colon cancer. Now Queen Elizabeth II (96) has appointed her a lady – and Prince William came to visit.
The moderator announced this on Twitter. She writes: “Prince William actually visited our family home today!”
Tea and champagne with Prince William
It continues: “I am very honored that he joined us for afternoon tea and champagne, where he not only chatted at length with my entire family, but also honored me with my damehood.”
James raised five million pounds (about 6.1 million Swiss francs) in donations for cancer research in just a few days. That’s why the Royals and Prime Minister Boris Johnson (57) honored the commitment of the mother of two.
Deborah James has been fighting for five years
Deborah James has been battling colon cancer for five years. Then the BBC presenter addresses her fans with emotional parting words. She is grateful for every further sunrise that she can still witness.
“The message I never meant to write,” reads the post from BBC presenter, book author and podcaster Deborah James. It is the most tragic message of her life. The Brit is dying. She will lose the fight against her colon cancer.
BBC presenter at the hospice
Giving up was not an option for the mother of two. She had to undergo multiple surgeries and numerous chemotherapy regimens. At first, they struck: in 2018, the doctors told her that she was cancer-free.
But the cancer came back. Incurable this time. All treatments have now been discontinued. “I’ve now been transferred to home hospice,” says James. She is surrounded by her friends and family, including husband Sebastien Bowen and their two children, Hugo, 14, and Eloise, 12. (eu)