The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have paid tribute to Dame Deborah James following "the heartbreaking news” of her death, saying: "Deborah was an inspirational and unfalteringly brave woman whose legacy will live on."
Deborah's death was confirmed on Tuesday night as her loved ones shared the sad news that the mum-of-two had died at the age of 40 via a statement on social media, following a five-year battle against stage four bowel cancer.
Taking to their official Instagram account this morning, Prince William and Kate Middleton described the mum-of-two as inspirational and brave as they mourned her passing.
"We are so sad to hear the news about Dame Deborah," the statement shared on their Instagram Stories read.
"Our thoughts are with her children, her family and her loved ones."
Underneath an image of the late star, they added: "Deborah was an inspirational and unfalteringly brave woman whose legacy will live on."
Deborah's death comes just weeks after the podcast presenter was awarded a Damehood and presented with the honour at her home by the future King of England.
Captioning snaps from the Duke of Cambridge's visit, Deborah wrote: "Prince William actually came to our family house today!!
"I am utterly honoured that he joined us for afternoon tea and champagne, where he not only spent a generous amount of time talking to my whole family but also honoured me with my Damehood.
"It’s quite surreal having a royal pop in at home, and yes you can imagine the cleaning antics and preparation went off the scale - but it was all irrelevant because William was so kind and he put us all at ease.
"He is clearly passionate about improving oncology outcomes as the President of the Royal Marsden. It was such a special day for my whole family, making memories to last a life time. He’s welcome back any time!"
Deborah’s two children, Hugo, 14, and Eloise, 12, chatted to Prince William who reportedly offered them words of advice and guidance.
Speaking about Deborah prior to her death, William said: "You know she’s had over 100 tumours.
"Which is unbelievable. I couldn’t believe that.
"The resilience you have to have to keep going back again, it’s got to be very draining on you."
In a bittersweet moment William described how Deborah joked she could now "drink" and was "triple parked" with glasses lined up as they celebrated her damehood.
William joked "as she put it, she made bowel cancer sexy, those are her words not mine!", when he visited the Royal Marsden Hospital in central London to watch a cancer patient undergo cutting-edge treatment provided by a robotic surgeon.
Deborah was initially diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer back in December 2016, at 35 years old, and since then campaigned passionately to raise vital funds and awareness.
In the wake of Deborah's death being announced on Tuesday night, the late star's Bowel Fund Fund saw a spike in donations - with the total raised creeping towards the £7million mark.
The campaigner is survived by her husband Sebastian Bowen and their two children, son Hugo, 14, and daughter Eloise, 12.
