Latest news with #MeandtheBigC
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Husband of Dame Deborah James finds love again three years after her death
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.
Metro
22-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Husband of Dame Deborah James finds love again with 'mystery woman'
The widower of Dame Deborah James has romance in his life again, three years on from her death. Dame Deborah died on June 28, 2022, at the age of 40, having been diagnosed with incurable bowel cancer in 2016. Throughout her career, she was incredibly vocal about living with the disease via the You, Me and the Big C podcast and raised over £11million with her Bowelbabe Fund. Before she died, the journalist – who received a Damehood just weeks before – insisted that she wanted her husband, Sebastien Bowen, to 'move on' when she was no longer around. And now, he is doing exactly that and fulfilling her wishes. New photos have captured Sebastien, who Dame Deborah wed in 2008, on a loved-up outing with a mystery woman. Sebastien strolled hand-in-hand with his other half along the towpath beside the River Thames after lunching at The River Cafe in Hammersmith, west London, which has proven to be a celebrity hotspot. The 45-year-old was in deep conversation with the unnamed brunette, who appeared to be in her thirties and was sporting a chic red dress and sunglasses. They laughed and joked, walking at a leisurely pace with their arms firmly around each other's waists. Having spotted the pair, a passer-by told MailOnline: 'They looked like they were very much in love. 'It was very sweet. For anyone who was inspired by Dame Deborah's attitude to life, it was really heartening to see her husband looking happy again.' In December last year, the publication revealed that Sebastien, who first met Dame Deborah in 2005, was open to dating again after losing his wife of 14 years. The publication stressed that it was 'early days,' but he had been on 'several dates' in a bid to 'rebuild his life'. Adding that he was 'taking things slowly,' a source shared: 'Deborah is going to be a tough act to follow, as they had a fantastic marriage and made a great couple. 'But Seb feels the time has come for him to move on, as Deborah wanted him to.' Dame Deborah had two children with Sebastien: a daughter named Eloise, now 15, and son Hugo, now 17. In May 2022, she revealed that she had moved to hospice-at-home care, writing on Instagram that her body 'simply wasn't playing ball' despite 'trying everything'. She added that she was spending her final days 'with [her] incredible family all around [her]' focusing on 'making sure [she's] not in pain and spending time with them'. Later on her BBC Radio 5 Live show, Dame Deborah reflected on her marriage and hopes of him finding someone else. 'I don't think I have ever seen my husband so emotional, but now he has suddenly realised the enormity of this,' she said. 'I have given him strict instructions: I want him to move on.' She added: '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'.' The former deputy headteacher turned avid campaigner also joked on her podcast that she had a few people whom she didn't want Sebastien to hook up with. 'I would do my damned hardest to haunt him.' Sebastien is a banker working for the private equity firm Pomona Capital. More Trending In 2023, Dame Deborah's mother, Heather, told the Daily Telegraph: 'We give Seb our blessing. 'We want him to move forward when he feels ready.' 'Deborah will be a hard act to follow, but he has our blessing,' she repeated. 'Because Deborah wanted him to move on, we want him to move on.' If you or someone you care about has been diagnosed with cancer, Macmillan can offer support and information. You can contact their helpline on 0808 808 00 00 (7 days a week from 8am to 8pm), use their webchat service, or visit their site for more information.
Daily Mail
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Dame Deborah James's lookalike daughter Eloise, 15, launches campaign in tribute to her late mother
Dame Deborah James 's teenage daughter has made her television debut as part of her dedication to continuing her mother's legacy in the fight against bowel cancer. Appearing on ITV 's Lorraine this morning, Eloise, 15, stepped into the public eye as she featured in a segment filmed at her home in Surrey, where she helped launch the new 'No Butts' campaign to raise awareness about the symptoms of bowel cancer. Eloise appeared as part of a joint effort with her relatives, Heather and Ben James, who joined Lorraine Kelly in the studio on Tuesday for an in-person interview to help launch the No Butts initiative - a campaign originally started by Deborah in 2021. Deborah, a former teacher and campaigner who hosted the podcast You, Me and the Big C, died from bowel cancer in 2022 at 40, five years after her stage four diagnosis. After being diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2016 at the age of 35, Deborah became a viral sensation through her social media content as she danced her way through chemotherapy and lived with 'rebellious hope', nicknaming herself the Bowelbabe. Marking the fifth year of the awareness campaign, Eloise and Heather discussed the 'No Butts' merchandise loo rolls, which has the words 'check your poo' printed on each sheet. The 15-year-old called the campaign 'genius'. She said: 'You're wiping your poo with something that says check your poo, so it's like a cheeky reminder before you do it. It's quite smart actually.' Heather and Ben James appeared in the studio where they reflected on Deborah's groundbreaking work to smash the 'taboo' of bowel cancer. Ben, who is running the London marathon this weekend in aid of bowel cancer research, said on the show: 'Deborah was beating the drum as much as possible but it's so important to keep raising awareness and to keep the message out there. 'People still don't quite know the symptoms [of bowel cancer] and it's important to keep spreading awareness, like the No Butts campaign.' Deborah's mother, Heather James, added: 'I think Deborah really did try and break the taboo around poo, with a happy, smiley face and dance.' Speaking to The Sun ahead of her onscreen appearance, Eloise said: 'Mum would be chuffed I was doing this because spreading awareness is what it's all about. Mum didn't want to make it something scary, she wanted to make it something fun'. 'She made it like dances, making jokes out of it. It gets to people more than being serious, 'cause no one is going to listen to someone being serious the whole time,' she continued, before adding that 'life is just not that serious, at the end of the day'. Eloise has starred in a short film for the show alongside her grandmother, Heather, where they reflect on some of Dame James's work. The GCSE student points out cheeky merchandise like branded loo roll and knickers before speaking about Prince William's visit to their family home. The future king visited in May 2022 when he 'joined us for afternoon tea and champagne' and 'not only spent a generous amount of time talking to my whole family but also honoured me with my Damehood,' Dame Deborah wrote on Instagram at the time. She continued: 'It's quite surreal having a royal pop in at home, and yes you can imagine the cleaning antics and preparation went off the scale - but it was all irrelevant because William was so kind and he put us all at ease. 'He is clearly passionate about improving oncology outcomes as the President of the Royal Marsden. 'It was such a special day for my whole family, making memories to last a life time.' She then joked that 'he's welcome back any time!' True to her mother's humorous confession, Eloise remembered making meringues while her grandmother was frantically going around the house trying to tidy. She said: 'The house was spotless but she was like, 'My house is a tip, I'm so sorry Prince William'. She spent 24 hours tidying, I don't know why she was apologising.' Dame James also tried to speak to her children about the different types and shapes of poo - but her hilarious outfits were perhaps most memorable. Bowel cancer kills more than 16,500 people every year, making it the second biggest cancer killer in the UK. And while 43,000 people are diagnosed each year, the disease is treatable if caught early. 'What mum wanted was for everyone to know the truth, that it can happen to anybody. Even if you're the most healthy person in the room you've still have chance of getting it,' Eloise said. Dame James decided to document her journey with cancer online to raise awareness of the disease and the daily plight of people living with cancer. She went on to host the successful 'You, Me and The Big C' podcast and used her platform to raise a massive £17million for cancer research via the Bowelbabe fund. In spring of 2022 she revealed she had entered palliative care and was going to move into her parents' home in Woking, Surrey, to spend her final days with her family around her. Her mother said in January that Dame James would be 'up there grinning from ear to ear' after the NHS announced it would drop the bowel cancer screening age from 60. Thanks to her campaigning, around 850,000 more people will now be included in the bowel cancer screening programme, with those aged 50 and 52 receiving kits by the end of March. COLON CANCER: WHAT ARE THE WARNING SIGNS? Bowel, or colorectal, cancer affects the large bowel, which is made up of the colon and rectum. Such tumors usually develop from pre-cancerous growths, called polyps. Symptoms include: Bleeding from the bottom Blood in stools A change in bowel habits lasting at least three weeks Unexplained weight loss Extreme, unexplained tiredness Abdominal pain Most cases have no clear cause, however, people are more at risk if they: Are over 50 Have a family history of the condition Have a personal history of polyps in their bowel Suffer from inflammatory bowel disease, such as Crohn's disease Lead an unhealthy lifestyle Treatment usually involves surgery, and chemo- and radiotherapy. More than nine out of ten people with stage 1 bowel cancer survive five years or more after their diagnosis. Unfortunately, only around a third of all colorectal cancers are diagnosed at this early stage. The majority of people come to the doctor when the disease has spread beyond the wall of the colon or rectum or to distant parts of the body, which decreasing the chance of being successfully cured of colon cancer. According to Bowel Cancer UK figures, more than 41,200 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer every year in the UK. It affects around 40 per 100,000 adults per year in the US, according to the National Cancer Institute.
