Dame Deborah James’ husband, Sebastien Bowen, has opened up in a touching new interview about his wife's incredible determination and strength, the life they shared, her legacy, and her final days. The campaigner, journalist, and mum-of-two from London was just 40 years old when she died in June at her parents' home in Woking after being diagnosed with incurable bowel cancer in 2016.
Following her diagnosis Dame Deborah vowed to raise awareness to help others spot and tackle bowel cancer more quickly and, before she died, had raised more than £7m for bowel cancer research.. Sebastien, who married Deborah in 2008, spoke to The Times and touched on intimate and emotional details about his wife's struggles with the disease, her diagnosis, the magical days they spent together with their children Hugo, 14, and 12-year-old Eloise, and Deborah's final moments.
In the interview, he recalls her resilience and "grit" in recent years but especially her last days and said: "In my mind she became more radiant at the end because her strength and depth was so strong." He added: "I still can't believe what she achieved but that was her mindset – her ability to go through the darkest places you could imagine and still smile and plan another project."
