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Wales Online
Wales Online
National
Corrie David

'I told her I was so proud and she passed away' Dame Deborah James' husband describes her last moments

Dame Deborah's husband has shared the details of his wife's "incredibly peaceful" last moments following her death. Dame Deborah James, also known by her social media name Bowel Babe, died at 40-years-old after being diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2016.

In his first interview since her passing on June 28, Sebastien Bowen told The Sun: "I kissed her on the head. I told her how much I loved her, that I would look after the kids and the last thing I said to her was that I was so proud of her. Then she slipped away.

"She had an incredibly peaceful death, if there was a way to die well, then she managed it. At the very end, it was quite spiritual."

Dame Deborah and Sebastien were married in France in 2008, and shared two children together, 14-year-old Hugo and 12-year-old Eloise. After her diagnosis, Dame Deborah became well known for her campaigning and gained a following of one million on Instagram as she candidly posed about her treatments.

In 2018, she launched the You, Me, and the Big C podcast alongside Lauren Mahon and Rachael Bland. In May, Dame Deborah revealed she had stopped active treatment and was receiving end-of-life care at her parents' home in Woking, with her husband and their two children on hand.

Family and friends gathered on July 20 to bid farewell to Dame Deborah at her funeral, a private, intimate service in West London. Speaking about his wife's achievements during the final months of her life, Sebastian said: "I'm in total awe of Debs, I'm in awe of what she did and how she went about it."

He also shared what he misses most about Dame Deborah, saying: "It's her magic, her way of finding joy in every moment - even in the darkest of times. That's what I'll miss most, it's quite a rare thing. It was at the very core of what made her unique."

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