Dame Deborah James ' husband Sebastien has opened up about how the pair managed to find 'moments of joy' even in the last few days of the cancer campaigner's life.
The British journalist, who sadly died in June at the age of 40 after battling stage four bowel cancer for five years, raised over £7million through her fundraising efforts.
Speaking to The Times in a heartfelt new interview Deborah's widower Sebastien Bowen, 42, said that his late wife's 'inner strength' during the final eight weeks of her life resulted in the couple still having the chance to experience 'some of the most mind-blowing, magical days of both our lives'.
Sebastien shared two children, Hugo, 14, and Eloise, 12, with his late wife.
He explained that he had stoped working in order to spend as much time with his wife as possible after she stopped undertaking active treatment and started to received end-of-life care at her parents' home in Woking.
Deborah's banker husband, who shared two children, Hugo, 14, and Eloise, 12, with his late wife, took on the role of carer alongside her parents, brother and sister.
He said that he spent the final weeks with his wife watching their favourite films, reading poetry and enjoying days out including to the Chelsea Flower Show.
Sebastien said: "More than anyone I know she loved life, even more so when it became so short and each minute counted. It forced us to be grateful, to feel blessed for small things.
"We went out in the rain in the garden because she didn't know whether it would be the last time she'd feel raindrops on her head. She wanted to feel the sun on her cheeks and smell the grass."
He continued to say that watching his wife embrace and enjoy her last few experiences "changed all our perspectives on life".
The doting husband said that it felt like he was using 'extra stolen time' and that they might have never received that luxury had she 'suddenly died' during earlier treatments or in the event of a car accident.
Following the funeral Sebastian and his two children, who would fetch their mother drinks and brush her hair during her final weeks, went to France and it is not clear if they still remain there or have come back to their London home.
Deborah was once a deputy headteacher and in 2016 was diagnosed with bowel cancer, this led to her launching the podcast You, Me and the Big C, to raise awareness of the illness.
She managed to raise over £7million for her Bowelbabe fund which was set up to fund clinical trials, which was achieved through a number of collaborations including a clothing range, rose named after her and the book How to Live When You Could Be Dead.
