Funeral of Dame Deborah James set to take place today

The funeral of Dame Deborah James will take place today.

The cancer campaigner and podcaster, who was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2016, tragically died last month aged 40. Her family announced her death in a statement on Instagram and said she passed away peacefully surrounded by her loved ones.

Deborah - also known as Bowel Babe - spent her final weeks receiving end-of-life care at home with her husband, Sebastien, and their two children. A private service will be held for her today.

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Family and close friends are expected to attend. The former deputy headteacher battled stage four bowel cancer and subsequently kept her nearly one million Instagram followers up to date with her treatments.

Her candid posts about her progress and diagnosis, including videos of her dancing her way through treatment, won praise from the public and media alike. Dame Deborah revealed in early May she had stopped active treatment.

She received end-of-life care with her family by her side. In her final months, the presenter of the BBC podcast You, Me And The Big C raised almost £7 million for research, with the amount climbing further following her death.

She was made a dame for her 'tireless' work improving awareness of the disease, with the honour conferred by the Duke of Cambridge, who joined her family for afternoon tea and champagne at home. Her death was announced on June 28 with a message saying she had died peacefully, surrounded by her family.

William and Kate, charities, celebrities and many whose lives have been affected by cancer shared tributes.

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