Tears for Dame Deborah: Lorraine and Susanna Reid become emotional as they pay tribute to ‘remarkable’ cancer campaigner and friend

• Lorraine Kelly cried as she hosted a tribute to Dame Deborah James on show
• Wore pink jacket, nod to Dame Deborah’s favourite colour and a slogan t-shirt
• Spoke to Steve Bland, Rachel Bland’s widower and held back tears
• He told Lorraine that Deborah had ‘done so much’ and they were proud of her 

TV presenter Lorraine Kelly became emotional as she hosted a tribute to Dame Deborah James on her ITV show.

Wearing a pink jacket, a nod to Dame Deborah’s favourite colour, and a t-shirt with the words ‘Rebellious Hope’ on it, which had became Dame Deborah’s slogan, Kelly held back tears as she spoke to Steve Bland.

Dame Deborah co-hosted the You, Me And The Big C podcast with Lauren Mahon and Rachael Bland.

Bland died in September 2018 aged 40 after treatment for breast cancer, and her widower Steve became a regular on the show.

He told Lorraine that Dame Deborah had ‘done so much, we’re so proud of her’.

Wearing a pink jacket, a nod to Dame Deborah’s favourite colour, and a t-shirt with the words ‘Rebellious Hope’ on it, which had became Dame Deborah’s slogan, Kelly held back tears as she spoke to Steve Bland

Bland told Lorraine that Dame Deborah had ‘done so much, we’re so proud of her’ and told her that it hit him this morning at the crack of dawn

She asked Steve how he was and he said: ‘Last night was very odd, very surreal, very numb and then I was awake again at the crack of dawn this morning and it just hit me. This moment that we’ve known for five years that it’s coming – five and a half years since it was diagnosed, it was already incurable.

‘I think that makes what she’s done in those five and a half years, what she’s packed in and the people that she’s helped, and the lives that she’s saved, all the more remarkable. This was just never an easy ride for her and she’s done so much, and we’re so proud of her.’ 

Lorraine reflected on her ‘remarkable energy’ and added that if Deborah James wanted to get something done then she would do it.

Steve quipped: ‘It was often the power of steroids. When she was on one of her steroids she used to bombard us and you would just wake up in the morning and there would be 100 messages of all these different ideas. 

Dame Deborah co-hosted the You, Me And The Big C podcast with Lauren Mahon and Rachael Bland. Bland died in September 2018 aged 40 after treatment for breast cancer, and her widower Steve became a regular on the show

Deborah and Steve were good friends. Steve described her work over the last seven weeks as ‘madness’ which has included a clothing line, best-selling book and campaigning to get supermarkets to put bowel cancer symptoms on their toilet rolls 

‘She had an unbelievable zest for life and lived every single moment…no more so than the last seven or so weeks…’

He was alluding to the numerous things Deborah had done while she was receiving end-of-life care including releasing a clothing line, continued campaigning and becoming a dame.  

Steve said: ‘Honestly who does that? It’s just madness.’ 

Lorraine said that Deborah did things on her own terms and was ‘very matter of fact’ about everything.

Steve replied: ‘I think she [Deborah] actually took a lot of inspiration from Rachel in the way that she tackled the last five or six weeks. I know she was messaging me last week, asking about how I organised the funeral and all that kind of thing. She was just super organised and did it on her terms.

Steve said that Deborah had an unbelievable zest for life and said that she would have given anything for more time with her family 

‘Deb and Rachel used to talk a lot about being in denial, using denial as a really powerful tool, but I’ve always thought that actually does them a bit of a disservice, because Debs knew exactly what was happening to her, yet she stared it right in the face and lived life as hard as she possibly could, for as long as she possibly could.

‘I talked to her so much about living and the way that she died, she would have given anything for another week, another month, another year with her wonderful family…’

Lorraine also spoke to producer Helen Addis, who had breast cancer in 2018 and thought up the ‘No Buts Campaign’ with Deborah.

Lorraine also spoke to producer Helen, who thought up the ‘No Buts Campaign’ with Deborah and which has saved many lives

Helen said: ‘We said we need to get the nation talking more about poo so got on this mission.

‘It’s not just what she has done for bowel cancer but what she has done for the bowel cancer community has been phenomenal.

‘She was such an inspiration for me personally and other people in the cancer community. It made everybody think if Debs can do it we can get through it. To us she was invincible.’ 

Lorraine also spoke to Dr Hilary, who worked alongside Deborah on the ‘No Buts’ campaign and described her as ‘a sheer force of personality.’

He added: ‘She has created a legacy that will benefit so many people. She’s saved lives already and she will go on to save hundreds more. Because she’s raised awareness of the symptoms, which is so important. She’s removed the stigma and embarrassment about talking about bottoms and butts and poo. And the money she’s raised, which will go into research…

Lorraine also spoke to Dr Hilary, who worked alongside Deborah on the ‘No Buts’ campaign and described her as ‘a sheer force of personality’

‘If you want to talk about living with cancer, she is the epitome of how to live life to the full, despite a poor prognosis and outlook. She just went for it and she crammed into the last few years of her life what most people couldn’t do in a whole lifetime.’

Lorraine earlier appeared on GMB ahead of her own programme and spoke about Deborah with Adil Ray and Susannah Reid.

She said: ‘It seems really strange because we knew this was coming but you kind of  don’t think it’s going to happen because she has bounced back so often.

Lorraine earlier appeared on GMB ahead of her own programme and spoke about Deborah, calling her ‘remarkable’

‘Back in January she was really, really ill and bounced back from that and we just thought she was going to be ok. 

‘But what a legacy, what a legacy. She has saved lives, she is remarkable and we are going to remember her with a lot of joy.

‘Boy would she have made some politician. She was just a woman who got things done. 

Meanwhile Susanna added: ‘We are all going to celebrate her life and her achievements but what a loss.’

Susannah Reid became emotional as she spoke about cancer campaigner Deborah James and said ‘what a loss’

On Good Morning Britain, Susannah and Adil also spoke to television actor Ben Richards who also paid tribute to Dame Deborah.

The bowel cancer survivor reflected on Deborah’s legacy, along with the CEO of Bowel Cancer UK, Genevieve Edwards.

Ben, who was given the all-clear from cancer in 2013, took part in her podcast, You, Me and The Big C, and worked closely with her on her campaign.

He said: ‘It’s amazing what she’s done, it’s a huge legacy. It’s one of those things that not many people talk about.

On Good Morning Britain, Susannah and Adil also spoke to television actor Ben Richards who also paid tribute to Dame Deborah

The bowel cancer survivor reflected on Deborah’s legacy, along with the CEO of Bowel Cancer UK, Genevieve Edwards

‘When they do, and Deborah was very much at the forefront of that, it makes a massive difference. 

‘It’s all about learning the symptoms and the signs and if we get on top of that quickly things can be a lot better. 

‘It’s very, very sad and she has left a huge legacy.’ 

The hosts spoke of how ‘remarkable’ she was sharing her diagnosis so publicly, with Ben adding that during treatment and having cancer, there is ‘a lot of personal turmoil going on.’

Ben, who was given the all-clear from cancer in 2013, took part in Deborah’s podcast, You, Me and The Big C, and worked closely with her on her campaign.

Ben said: ‘To turn that around as she has done and create something so amazing. Financially it is incredible what she has done but even more importantly she really put it out there so that people got talking again.

He added that because of her campaigning, supermarkets are now putting symptoms onto toilet roll and getting people thinking.

Ben said that this will save a lot of lives and admitted that when he first got his diagnosis, he was unable to talk about it.

He said that there was not much out there apart from the Bobby Moore foundation which is why he eventually chose to document his own treatment for bowel cancer and go public.

Ben said that he went public with his own diagnosis to help others but added that what Deborah had done was ‘taking it to another level’

‘If I saved one person’s life then it would be worth it. What Deborah has done is taking it to another level.’ 

Adil and Susannah then spoke to Genevieve, who echoed their words about Deborah’s legacy.

She said: ‘Since the day of her diagnosis she has turned that into an incredible force for good.

‘She has never stopped campaigning even when she was going through really difficult personal times.

‘She never stopped supporting and helping others. She leaves this incredible legacy behind her and I think what she has done is made it possible for so many more people to speak about their bowel cancer diagnosis.

‘People do find it embarrassing to talk about. She stripped all of that away and did it with such humour and warmth and energy. She will be so greatly missed.’

Adil and Susannah then spoke to Genevieve, who echoed their words about Deborah’s legacy and said she had turned her diagnosis into a force for good 

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