DAME Deborah James’ funeral was “full of laughs and tears”Lorraine Kelly said it.
The morning ITV host praised the mum-of-two’s “incredible”Children thank you for your tributes.
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After five years of living with incurable colon cancer, Dame Debs died on June 28, 2022 at 40.
The Central Recorder writer was a national treasure because she channelled her energy into saving others’ lives by raising awareness of the symptoms of bowel cancer.
Speaking of Dame Debs’ funeral, presenter Lorraine, 62, said: “There were a lot of tears and there really was genuinely a lot of laughs too, so it was great.
“She planned everything and it was perfect, as you would hope.
“I was honoured to be there with some of our team.
“It was a beautiful, beautiful send off. It was so lovely. It was sad, but it was also a celebration of an amazing, amazing woman.”
Lorraine was one of the hundreds of guests at Debs’ send-off at St Mary’s church in Barnes, South West London.
Television star Gaby Roslin (58), McFly singer Tom Fletcher (37), and his wife Giovanna, 37, joined the congregation.
But the most important guests were Debs’ children, Hugo, 14, and Eloise, 12, who led her funeral procession with their dad and Debs’ husband, Sebastien.
Lorraine, who claimed Debs would “never be forgotten”, said: “Hugo wrote a poem for his mum, and read it out. Elouise read it out. Her husband spoke the most touching eulogy.
“It was lovely. It was sad, but it was also very uplifting.
“Her legacy is astonishing, with what she’s done to raise awareness.
“But our legacy is also our children, and they are Wow. They are amazing, extraordinary young people. They are amazing young people.
“In the final weeks and months of her life she did so much. She was awarded a rose and made a dame. Prince William visited her home.
“She achieved more in the last days of her life than most of us achieve in our whole lives.”
Dr Hillary Jones described Deb as “unique and extraordinary”.
He said: “Whilst her life was cruelly curtailed at 40, she crammed so much into that life.
“She crammed it with verve, with energy, with love, with passion. There were so many amazing things. And that’s why we celebrate her life, and her legacy which lives on.
“She raised £7.4million, she’s saved lives and she’ll continue to save lives as a result of that
“Her lovely family will remember her for that.”
Deborah’s coffin arrived in a 1936 Rolls-Royce hearse and a private wake was held at the Olympic Studios cafe in Barnes.
The white roses, which were given in her memory before her death, were arranged at her funeral.
For each Dame Deborah James rose sold, £2.50 is donated to the BowelBabe fund, launched by Debs in her finally days.
It has already raised £7.4million for cancer charities on top of the millions made from sales of T-shirts, bags and an In The Style clothing range.
Recognize the symptoms
Lorraine and Dr Hilary discussed the symptoms of bowel carcinoma – exactly as Debs would want.
Dr Hilary said: “This is not an uncommon cancer, even at a young age, which Deborah proved.
“Forty-three thousand new cases are diagnosed every year and 16,000 people lose their lives, but 40 to 50 per cent are preventable.
“So the earlier you get it diagnosed, the much greater chance of getting cured, not just treated but cured. And so go and get it checked if you get any of those symptoms.”
Lorraine stated that no other woman could look like Lorraine. “glamorous”Debs dressed up as a poo to raise awareness about bowel cancer symptoms.
These are the symptoms:
- Bleeding in the back passage or bloody poo
- You may want to change your toilet habits. For example, you might go more frequently.
- You may feel pain or a lump in the stomach
- Extreme tiredness
- Losing weight
Other symptoms include:
- Feelings of pain in the abdomen
- Feeling bloated
- Wind-related symptoms include constipation and inability to pass wind.
- Being sick
- Feeling that you need to strain. This is similar to doing a number 2 – but after you’ve been at the loo.