The husband of Dame Deborah James appears to have found love again, three years after the much-loved cancer campaigner’s death.
Sebastien Bowen, 45, was spotted hand-in-hand with a new partner during a sunny afternoon stroll along the Thames in west London. The pair were seen walking arm-in-arm towards Barnes after enjoying lunch at The River Café in Hammersmith, the celebrity haunt where Jamie Oliver once trained.
Wearing a red dress and sunglasses, the woman — seemingly in her 30s — looked relaxed and cheerful as she laughed with Mr Bowen.
“They looked like they were very much in love,” said one passer-by. “It was really heartening to see him looking happy again. For anyone who admired Deborah’s spirit, it felt like a beautiful moment.”
Dame Deborah, known to millions as “Bowelbabe”, died in June 2022 at the age of 40 following a five-year battle with stage four bowel cancer. A tireless campaigner, she raised more than £11 million for cancer research and helped destigmatise open conversation about illness through her BBC podcast ‘You, Me and the Big C.’
Before her death, Dame Deborah gave her husband her blessing to move on, joking that he should avoid “bimbos” and find someone who could make him laugh the way she had.
Speaking openly in her final months, she said: “He’s a handsome man… I’ve told him: ‘Don’t be taken for a ride.’ I want him to be happy. I want him to move on.”
The couple met in 2005 and married in 2008, raising two children together. Mr Bowen, who works in finance, has kept a low profile since her death but was reported to have quietly returned to dating late last year.
A family friend said: “It’s still early days, but Deborah will always be part of Seb’s story. She wanted him to live, to laugh, to love again and he’s doing just that.”
Dame Deborah’s mother, Heather said last year that Deborah would be a “very tough act to follow” but Sebastien had the family’s blessing to find happiness again.
