Deborah James has revealed her final TV appearance will be on an episode of Channel 4's Embarrassing Bodies, which even if the Dame passes away, will be aired as she hopes it will raise awareness for bowel cancer.
The brave campaigner has been raising awareness of the disease since she was diagnosed with it five years ago, and announced last week that she would be moving into hospice care - sharing with fans on social media that 'nobody knows how long [she's] got left'.
The episode, which is set to air next month, sees Deborah speak with young people about cancer and was filmed prior to finding out her body was 'just not playing ball'. The 40-year-old said that the show will be airing even if she isn't around to watch it herself.
READ MORE: Deborah James 'gutted' she won't be alive when second book comes out but 'blown away' by response
Speaking to The Sun, Deborah said: “I might not live to see the episode air but I hope the message to ‘Check your poo’ will live on, long after I’m gone. It might be embarrassing but it might just save your life. Early diagnosis of things like bowel cancer saves lives.
“So don’t live to regret it, and don’t risk dying because you’re shy. I’ve given my blessing for this episode to run if I’m gone, if it helps save one life it will be worth it.”
It comes after the campaigner revealed this week that she had completed her second book, titled How To Live When You Could Be Dead, and it will be published on August 18.
Deborah was initially diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer back in December 2016, at 35 years old. Since then she has been sharing her experiences online, where she has become one of three presenters on BBC Radio 5 Live's You, Me and the Big C and well-known online as "Bowel Babe'.
On Thursday May 12 the Queen announced she would honour Deborah with a Damehood outside of the usual schedule, after she raised more than £6.3 million through her online fundraiser for cancer charities. Deborah's original goal was to hit £250,000 for Cancer Research UK, but so far she'd gone on to reach more than 16 times that.
The announcement was made just days after the mum-of-two revealed she is receiving end-of-life care for her bowel cancer. The podcast host said she is “humbled and blown away” by her damehood, adding that the news has been "overwhelming".
In a recent Instagram post, the podcast host admitted she is "getting more and more sleepy" and is finding "life a little harder" as she shared a message of thanks to her fans on social media for helping with her fundraising efforts.
Deborah's co-hosting role on the You, Me And The Big C podcast began in 2018, alongside Lauren Mahon and Rachael Bland, which gained lots of praise by listeners due to their frank discussions about cancer.
Donations can be made at bowelbabe.org.
