BBC Host Deborah James Reveals Her Devastating Health Prognosis
The BBC's Deborah James has shared a heartbreaking update on her health with fans. The British star has been very open about her experience with cancer over the years, regularly sharing updates on her journey with bowel cancer with the world. In fact, James is one of the hosts of the podcast "You, Me and the Big C," in which she and her co-hosts discussed all things relating to the disease. She hosted the series alongside Lauren Mahon and Rachael Bland, who have also been diagnosed with cancer, though Bland sadly died in 2018 following a very public cancer journey.
James has kept fans well updated with how she's doing on her @bowelbabe Instagram account, including sharing back in January 2020 that she "had no evidence of cancer in [her] body" in a heartwarming Instagram post after previously finding out she once had a devastating 15 tumors. She told cancer in the caption of a stunningly powerful shot of herself in a swimsuit, "3 Years on, 10 operations, too many scans, a lot of chemo, some fancy drugs, lots of tears....I'm still standing – and you (according to my most recent scans!) are still sleeping!" She then continued that she was "beyond happy" but also "realistic" about the chances of her cancer returning, noting she was "praying it continues to work. Being beyond grateful to be here today [and] still taking it one step at a time."
But, tragically, the good news didn't last too long.
Deborah James' goodbye message
On May 9, Deborah James shared the update nobody wanted to hear when she shared that she would be entering hospice care as the cancer slowly takes over her body. The radio host took to Instagram to confirm that she's unsure how long she has left to live and, sadly, her "body just can't continue anymore." She explained that the post would be her "goodbye" message to all those who have supported her as she explained she was "taking it a day at a time, step by step and being grateful for another sunrise."
James encouraged those touched by her story to donate to her charity, Bowel Babe. Her JustGiving page has seen more than 150,000 people donate more than $3.2 million as of May 11, with funds being given to Cancer Research UK. That's more than 1000% of the $309,000 James set out to raise. "I'm, like, absolutely mind blown and I just cannot thank people enough for their generosity," James told BBC News of the donations. "It makes me feel utterly loved. It makes me feel like we're all kind of in it at the end together and we all want to make a difference."
In addition to her heartbreaking final Instagram post, James also co-hosted the "You, Me and the Big C" podcast for the final time. During the May 10 episode, titled "Deborah James' Last Dance," she discussed stopping treatment and the effect cancer has had on her body.