Friends of the late Deborah James played tribute to the inspirational cancer campaigner on BBC Breakfast this morning in the wake of the star's death being announced last night.
The BBC podcast presenter's co-host Steve Bland grew emotional as he paid tribute to his late friend and the 'extraordinary legacy' she leaves behind, while close friend Emma Campbell recalled undergoing treatment alongside Deborah when chatting on the early-morning show.
Deborah's death was confirmed on Tuesday night as her loved ones shared the sad news that the mum-of-two had died at the age of 40 via a statement on social media, following a five-year battle against stage four bowel cancer.
Speaking with hosts Nina Warhurst and Jon Kay on Wednesday morning, pal Emma recalled memories of dancing with Deborah in hospital as they underwent treatment together.
"She just looks like she was great fun, even in the darkest of times," presenter Nina stated as a clip of Emma and Deborah played in the background.
"She was and I'm not a dancer, as you can probably see, but she was the one person who could get me up," Nina replied as she paid tribute to her late friend.
"On the days were fortunate enough for our 'chemo days' to collide, Debs was always like 'right, what are we going to do?' and you just couldn't help but follow on."
"I'm just so grateful to have the memory of that day. I'm in my flip flops, she's in her trainers - we're both floating around and it was a beautiful moment."
Emma went on to explain how behind 'precious moments' like the dancing clip, there may have also been tears or anxiety about results as they both navigated their battles against cancer.
"We would share where we were both at," she continued. "She was the full range of human emotion and she was never afraid to show it and that's what made us all so drawn to her."
Later on in the show, Deborah's podcast co-host pointed out that the late star has been raising funds and awareness of cancer "not just the last several weeks but for the last five years".
Deborah began co-presenting You, Me and the Big C alongside Steve's late wife Rachael Bland and Lauren Mahon in 2018, with the podcast earning praise for its frank discussion of cancer.
"She educated people about the symptoms of bowel cancer and that's an extortionary legacy," Steve proudly declared on BBC Breakfast. "Thousands of people are alive because of her."
Nicola Sturgeon also praised Deborah for her fight against cancer during her appearance on Good Morning Britain and BBC Breakfast on Wednesday, highlighting her fundraising efforts as well as her work to raise awareness of the disease.
The Scottish First Minister said: "Can I take the opportunity to personally pay tribute to Deborah James?
"Her loss at such a young age is clearly tragic, but the work she did to raise awareness of bowel cancer and of course the immense amount of money she raised will make such a difference, and my thoughts are with her family today."
Deborah was initially diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer back in December 2016, at 35 years old, and since then campaigned passionately to raise vital funds and awareness.
In the wake of Deborah's death being announced on Tuesday night, the late star's Bowel Fund Fund saw a spike in donations - with the total raised creeping towards the £7million mark.
The campaigner is survived by her husband Sebastian Bowen and their two children, son Hugo, 14, and daughter Eloise, 12.
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