Latest news with #SusannAulbach
Telegraph
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Dame Deborah James's widower ‘in relationship with Swiss investment banker'
The widower of Dame Deborah James is reportedly in a relationship with a Swiss investment banker. Sebastien Bowen, 45, was pictured holding hands with Susann Aulbach while walking alongside the Thames in west London. The Daily Mail reported that Ms Aulback, 39, is the head of investor relations at a London finance firm. They were seen enjoying lunch at the the River Cafe in Hammersmith after Mr Bowen was said to have been given the blessing of his late wife's family to start dating again. Before her death from cancer in June 2022, aged 40, Dame Deborah told her husband he could move on but not 'marry a bimbo'. She was awarded a damehood by Prince William, who visited her at her parents' home in Woking, Surrey. After starting her end-of-life care, the former deputy headmistress said in an interview: 'I have given him strict instructions: I want him to move on. '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'.' In 2023, her mother, Heather, said: 'Deborah will be a hard act to follow, but he has our blessing.' Mr Bowen and Dame Deborah married in 2008 and had two children together. She was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2015, and went on to call herself 'Bowelbabe'. The broadcaster, best known for the award-winning You, Me And The Big C, raised more than £11 million for cancer charities, including £3 million in three days after announcing that she was moving to hospice care. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge revealed that they were among the thousands who had donated. The couple tweeted: 'Every now and then, someone captures the heart of the nation with their zest for life and tenacious desire to give back to society. @bowelbabe is one of those special people. 'Her tireless efforts to raise awareness of bowel cancer and end the stigma of treatment are inspiring. We are so sad to hear her recent update but pleased to support the @bowelbabef (Bowelbabe Fund) which will benefit the @royalmarsdenNHS among others. 'Deborah, our thoughts are with you, your family and your friends. Thank you for giving hope to so many who are living with cancer. W & C.'
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Revealed: Dame Deborah James' husband has found love with a glamorous Swiss investment banker, 39 - three years after the bowel cancer campaigner's death
Dame Deborah James ' husband has found love again with a Swiss investment banker three years after the bowel cancer campaigner died, MailOnline can reveal. When Sebastien Bowen was pictured at the weekend with a beautiful 'mystery' woman, friends of his late wife wished him well. Dame Deborah had, after all, told her husband he should ' move on' after she was gone. Now we can reveal the woman with whom Mr Bowen, 45, was pictured holding hands in west London is Susann Aulbach, whose most recent role was head of investor relations at a London finance firm. Ms Aulbach, who lives in an £800,000 flat in Chelsea, turns 39 this month and it is thought that the pair may have been celebrating her birthday when they were spotted enjoying a long, leisurely lunch last week at The River Cafe in Hammersmith. The River Cafe is the fashionable restaurant where Jamie Oliver began his career and the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow and Nigella Lawson have dined. A passerby said: '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.' Ms Aulbach, who grew up in Switzerland, wore an elegant red dress with black sandals and sunglasses as she and Mr Bowen, a banker at private equity firm Pomona Capital, basked in the sunshine while they strolled on the towpath beside the Thames. Last December, we revealed that Mr Bowen was dipping his toe in the dating scene. Friends said he had been on several dates as he attempted to rebuild his life following his wife's death in June 2022. In the months before she passed, she was awarded a damehood personally by Prince William, who visited Deborah at her parents' home in Woking Surrey, where she was living. A source said: 'It's very early days for Seb and he's taking things very slowly. 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, who called herself 'Bowelbabe', raised more than £11million for cancer research. She was known for her frankness about dealing with her aggressive bowel cancer, which she shared on the BBC Radio 5 Live show You, Me And The Big C. She described Mr Bowen as a 'very eligible bachelor' and knew he would attract a lot of female attention after her death. She said: 'I have given him strict instructions: I want him to move on. '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.' She also joked there were a couple of people she didn't want him to hook up with and if he did, 'I would do my damned hardest to haunt him'. Mr Bowen met his wife, with whom he had two children, in 2005 and they married three years later. In 2023, her mother Heather said: 'Deborah will be a hard act to follow, but he has our blessing.'
