Lorraine Kelly has spoken about the last time she visited Deborah James in hospital and admitted how she thought her "remarkable" friend would just "bounce back". Deborah, also known as BowelBabe on social media, announced in a heartbreaking message to her followers this week that she doesn't know how long she's "got left".
The 40-year-old, who was diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer in 2016, worked with Lorraine on the ITV show's 'No Butts' campaign which aimed to raise awareness of bowel cancer. The You, Me and the Big C podcast host has now revealed she is receiving hospice at home care and is surrounded by her friends and family.
Speaking on Tuesday morning's ITV programme alongside Dr Hilary Jones, Lorraine said: "The only thing, Hilary, is that she just always bounced back, you know, and I just expected her to. Recently I went to see her in the hospital and - although she was very thin - she was Deborah!
"She was full of life, she was funny, she was making everybody laugh, she was her usual self and I thought, 'This is another wee hiccup along the line',". Dr Hilary added: "She's removed the stigma about bowel cancer... She's got to where she has against the odds - she's tried new treatments, she's tried treatments that could potentially cause problems. So she's been a kind of trialist for many new forms of therapy". "She's just remarkable," Lorraine added.
It comes after Deborah penned an emotional post on Instagram on Monday, May 10 which read: "The message I never wanted to write. We have tried everything, but my body simply isn't playing ball. My active care has stopped and I am now moved to hospice at home care with my incredibly family all around me and the focus is on making sure I'm not in pain and spending time with them.
"Nobody knows how long I've got left but I'm not able to walk, I'm sleeping most of the days, and most things I took for granted are pipe dreams. I know we have left no stone unturned. But even with all the innovative cancer drugs in the world or some magic new breakthrough, my body just can't continue anymore."
She signed off her message asking her followers to 'buy her a drink' by donating to the newly set up Bowelbabe Fund which so far has received more than £1,300,000 donations. Speaking of the fund on Lorraine, Dr Hilary said: "And that fund will help research to save other people's lives in the future," to which Lorraine said: "She's already saved lives Hilary," adding: "We'll never know how many lives she's saved".
You can find Deborah's Bowelbabe fundraiser here. Lorraine airs weekdays on ITV and ITV Hub from 9am.
