Sophie Kinsella, who famously wrote the 2000 novel Confessions of a Shopaholic which was turned into a movie in 2009, has died at the age of 55. The novelist’s family shared on Wednesday morning that she “died peacefully” after having battled an “aggressive” form of glioblastoma brain cancer since 2022. Amidst the tragic news, Shopaholic star Isla Fisher has paid tribute to Kinsella.
One of Isla Fisher’s most notable roles to this day is playing the shopping addict, and the Now You See Me 3 actress reacted to the news with emotional words directed at the late author. In her words:
Dear Sophie, You conjured Rebecca Bloomwood, a hilarious, flawed dream of a comic character – and I was lucky enough to step into her shoes and speak your witty & brilliant words. My daughters grew up being read your books and love them to this day. My heart is broken. You are still my hero, and I'm grateful for you. And though we won't meet again, your light and magic lives on in your incredible characters.
That's such a sweet tribute. Fisher has three kids with Sasha Baron Cohen, who announced their divorce last year after 14 years of marriage. Since they had two daughters and one son (who should be around the ages of 18, 15 and 10) while they were a couple, it certainly makes sense that Confessions of a Shopaholic is a staple in their household. Book adaptations are always fun to compare, and Fisher's kids can say their mom is the series' main character.
In addition to sharing those sweet words on her Instagram story, Fisher also posted this:
Sophie Kinsella's passing was shared on her own Instagram page by her family after the author died in her home in Dorset, just two days before her 56th birthday. In the family's message (which you can read in full below), her loved ones said her final days were "filled with her true loves: family and music and warmth and Christmas and joy." The clan also shared that despite her illness, Kinsella dealt with it with "unimaginable courage" and "took nothing for granted" when it came to life's blessings.
The film Confessions of a Shopaholic (which is streamable with a Disney+ subscription) is one of those rom-coms set in New York that centers around writers for magazines (tales that were rather common in the 2000s). However, in the case of Kinsella's story, it's particularly funny and entertaining because its main character is dealing with a pretty serious shopping addiction. The book itself is actually set in London, since Kinsella is a British author herself.
Kinsella published ten Shopaholic installments between 2000 and 2019, along with 13 standalone novels and other works under the pen name Madeleine Wickham from 1995 to 2001. Per her website, over 50 million copies of her books have been sold, and they've been translated in over 40 languages and over 60 countries. Her final novel was What Does It Feel Like?, which was inspired by her experience with cancer.
Much like Rebecca Bloomwood, Sophie Kinsella was initially a financial journalist before becoming a successful writer. She's survived by her husband Henry Wickham and five children. We here at CinemaBlend extend our condolences to Kinsella's loved ones during this time.
