Prince William and Kate have issued a heartfelt tribute to Deborah James as she battles stage four bowel cancer in hospice care.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex took to Twitter to share their emotional statement praising the incredibly 'special' 40-year-old after her fundraiser has skyrocketed in the last few days.
Their emotional tweet read: "Every now and then, someone captures the heart of the nation with their zest for life & tenacious desire to give back to society.
" Deborah is one of those special people. Her tireless efforts to raise awareness of bowel cancer and end the stigma of treatment are inspiring.
"We are so sad to hear her recent update but pleased to support the @bowelbabef, which will benefit the @royalmarsdenNHS among others," writes the Mirror.
"Deborah, our thoughts are with you, your family and your friends. Thank you for giving hope to so many who are living with cancer. W & C."
Deborah has been treated at the Royal Marsden which the Duke is Patron of and it's one of the beneficiaries of her fund.
A senior palace source said: "Along with the rest of the nation, the Duke and Duchess have been touched by Deborah's story and huge efforts to raise awareness."
William and Kate's heartfelt tribute comes after former BBC presenter Deborah shared a heartbreaking health update on Monday, confirming that she is now in hospice care and is spending her time surrounded by her family and friends.
Deborah, who has battled stage 4 bowel cancer for almost five years, took to Twitter to share the devastating update with her beloved fans and followers.
The mum-of-two said that although she has been fighting her illness for five years, it's not easy to accept.
The much-loved BBC star penned: "The tweet I never wanted to write. The time has come to say goodbye.
"It has been 5 years to prepare, doesn’t make it any easy.
"I’m under hospice at home care, & I’m spending my time surrounded by my family. Please buy me a wine to see me out and raise vital funds."
The brave star, who has documented her cancer journey on social media under the name 'bowel babe' has seen her BowelBabe Fund hit a staggering £3 million after she revealed her last wishes this week.
Deborah urged people to donate to the fundraiser - at bowelbabe.org - as she revealed she had been moved to hospice care at home following her five year battle with cancer.
Her fundraiser skyrocketed to a whopping £250,000 shortly after going live.
And it has now reached a staggering £3million in just three days.
Deborah has said that she's 'blown away' by the generosity of people as she continues to fight her illness.
The Bowelbabe Fund for Cancer Research UK is Deborah’s final endeavour of many to support research into bowel cancer.
The fundraiser website reads: “All money raised will be allocated, with the support of CRUK [Cancer Research UK] to funding causes and projects that I really care about,”
You can visit Deborah's Bowelbabe fundraising page here.
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