Your Route to Real News

Deborah James' mum 'celebrating pride she would've felt' at brother's wedding

1423     0
The heir
The heir's 'push' to Debs' brother revealed

DEBORAH James' brother has married his partner of more than a decade after Prince William gave him the nudge to propose.

Ben James and his now-wife Ashely got engaged in May 2022 - just weeks before Dame Debs died.

Deborah James with her brother Ben and his fiancé Ashley after the proposal qhidquiqhxidduprw
Deborah James with her brother Ben and his fiancé Ashley after the proposalCredit: INSTAGRAM
The Sun writer and inspirational cancer campaigner beamed alongside her family
The Sun writer and inspirational cancer campaigner beamed alongside her familyCredit: INSTAGRAM
The couple tied the knot in Barbados this week
The couple tied the knot in Barbados this weekCredit: Instagram/HeatherJames
Deborah James, and her husband Sebastien Bowen (left) and children Hugo and Eloise, pictured with Prince William when she received her damehood in 2022
Deborah James, and her husband Sebastien Bowen (left) and children Hugo and Eloise, pictured with Prince William when she received her damehood in 2022Credit: Graham Prentice

The fierce cancer campaigner and Sun writer had shared the happy news to Instagram at the time - but tragically admitted she knew she wouldn't make the wedding.

Ben and Ashley have now tied the knot - with his and Debs' mum putting up a sweet message, saying she was "celebrating the pride" her brave daughter would have felt.

Debs was just 40 years old when she died in June 2022, five-and-a-half years after being diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer.

R&B star Anita Pointer of The Pointer Sisters dies aged 74R&B star Anita Pointer of The Pointer Sisters dies aged 74

Her brother Ben and Ashley had got engaged in the weeks prior - after Prince William gave him a push.

The heir was said to have given him a nudge when he presented Debs with a Damehood in May 2022.

Wills reportedly asked him why he hadn't yet popped the question after such a long time together.

And Debs' and Ben's mum Heather has now uploaded a video with sweet snaps from the wedding.

The 66-year-old said the Barbados wedding have been "wonderful" and said how lovely it had been to have all the couple's loved ones together.

But, Heather continued: "Two very special people sadly are no longer with us.

"We all celebrated the joy and pride that Sue (Ashley’s mum) and Deborah would have felt."

Debs had announced her brother's happy news on Instagram in 2022, sharing a series of snaps in which she, Ben and his wife-to-be Ashley grinned as they show off the ring.

Underneath, she said: "He finally put a ring on it. Congratulations to Ben and Ashley for finally getting engaged after 11 years.

"If you ever followed my podcasts, brother banter features highly, and even Prince William joined in on the action recently.

Celtic icon Frank McGarvey dies aged 66 as tributes paid to hero after cancer fightCeltic icon Frank McGarvey dies aged 66 as tributes paid to hero after cancer fight

"The question to my brother has always been, 'why haven’t you proposed?'

"As a family everyone knew they both wanted to, it wasn’t like it’s been off the cards, it’s just always been apparently about 'the right time'.

Two very special people sadly are no longer with us.

Heather JamesDame Debs' mum

"So they finally did it, and then face timed me from Cornwall and then friends all afterwards - my mouth was still opened for the rest of the day."

The post came just days before Debs died.

She had said that her body was "no longer playing ball" after five years battling bowel cancer, went on to say she was "of course sad" she wouldn't be at the wedding.

She was, however, was grateful for an excuse to throw her "last impromptu party" full of cake and silver fairy lights.

Deborah added: "I couldn’t be prouder to be able to finally say that Ashley will be my sister in law - I adore her.

"And she makes Ben happy which is all that matters and vice versa."

It comes as it was revealed millions of pounds raised by Debs before she died will help shed new light on an alarming rise in bowel cancer cases in the under-50s.

The mum-of-two’s Bowelbabe Fund has committed £5million to fund a global study to determine risk factors and understand how diet can help prevent the disease.

One of the Sun columnist’s dying wishes was to establish her fund to fuel research into cancer, its causes, treatments and hopefully one day, a cure.

Now, a large chunk of the £12.6million raised so far in her honour, will fund the work of Team PROSPECT at King’s College London, Massachusetts General Hospital and Washington University in St. Louis.

Dame Debs’ parents, Heather and Alistair, told The Sun their daughter would be “over the moon” knowing money she helped raise could one day prevent young people dying of the disease.

They said: “Deborah would have been so proud and thrilled - as are we, as a family.

“Sadly, we know only too well that early-onset bowel cancer is on the rise.

“It was one of Deborah’s final wishes to establish the BBF, to find a way of ensuring in the future there are no more Deborahs.

“To help support some of the finest researchers on a global programme that could lead to a major shift in the identification - and eventually eradication - of this disease represents a perfect way for us as a family to help achieve Deborah’s final hopes and dreams.”

Debs' mum Heather James shared a sweet post to social media about the wedding
Debs' mum Heather James shared a sweet post to social media about the weddingCredit: Instagram
She was treated for advanced bowel cancer for five-and-a-half years
She was treated for advanced bowel cancer for five-and-a-half yearsCredit: Deborah James
The Sun columnist would dress up in the poo emoji to get people talking about bowel cancer symptoms
The Sun columnist would dress up in the poo emoji to get people talking about bowel cancer symptomsCredit: Deborah James
She raised millions of pounds before she died of bowel cancer in 2022
She raised millions of pounds before she died of bowel cancer in 2022Credit: Stewart Williams

Jane Matthews

Print page

Comments:

comments powered by Disqus