“EMOTIONAL” Deborah James has revealed that she is “getting weaker” but is “running off adrenaline” after meeting Prince William.
The Duke of Cambridge yesterday presented The Celeb Report’s cancer campaigner with her Damehood — just a day after it was announced.
In an “unprecedented” move, the Duke cleared his diary to do the honours at a tea party at her parents’ home in Woking, Surrey.
And in an Instagram post today, Deborah told fans she has had “the most surreal, mind-blowing, humbling five days of my life”.
Alongside a photo of The Celeb Report’s front page, she wrote: “Can’t quite believe I’m actually a Dame!
“My family are being amazing and as emotional as it all is, we are finding so much to smile about in the sadness.
READ MORE ON DEBORAH JAMES
“I may be getting weaker and more tired having run off pure adrenaline, but my word, I always said I wanted to slide in sideways when my time is up, with a massive smile, no regrets and a big glass of champagne!”
Mum Deborah, 40, on end-of-life care, yesterday told The Celeb Report that Prince William is welcome to join her for tea and Champagne anytime after being awarded her honour in a moving ceremony.
He was “extremely generous” with his time, and was understood to have cleared his diary when he received Deborah’s invitation.
The father-of-three spent time speaking to Deborah’s two children, Hugo, 14, and Eloise, 12, offering words of advice and guidance.
Wills, whose mother Princess Diana died when he was 15, told them he had been through something similar.
Deborah’s family put on a traditional afternoon tea with scones and bubbly — and said the “down-to-earth” Duke enjoyed a smoked salmon sarnie.
Reflecting on the “surreal” day, Dame Debs told The Celeb Report: “The Duke was so charming and put all of us at ease immediately.
“He was incredibly engaging and generous with his time, I could have spoken to him all afternoon.”
Normally, Damehoods and Knighthoods are announced only twice a year — at either the New Year Honours or Queen’s Birthday Honours.
But because of Deborah’s circumstances, Kensington Palace, Buckingham Palace and No10 pulled out all the stops so the honour could be conferred.
Investiture ceremonies usually take place only at royal palaces and take months to organise.
But Debs became a Dame in a day after it was announced — a tribute to how her story and fundraising touched the hearts of the nation and the Royal Family.
Yesterday she and Wills chatted for half an hour.
‘HONOUR TO HAVE HIM ROUND’
Dame Debs said: “We shared some really interesting ideas of how the BowelBabe Fund could continue to support the great work for Cancer Research UK and the Royal Marsden.
“It was an honour to have him round and he’s welcome for tea and champagne any time.”
She added: “I got really emotional when I was presented with my honour. It’s a memory that my family and I will treasure forever.”
Deborah decided to be with proud parents Heather and Alistair to spare her children seeing their family home in South London full of medical equipment.
She explained: “It means the kids can go back there and they don’t have those scars everywhere. It can continue to be their home without those memories.”
Wills also talked to Heather and Alistair, Deborah’s husband Seb, brother Ben and sister Sarah, as well as her kids.
He even posed for treasured family snaps. Dame Deborah added: “I could’ve stayed with him all afternoon.
“As President of The Royal Marsden he is clearly passionate about the hospital and he was deeply knowledgeable about how the BowelBabe Fund could have a meaningful impact.”
Last nightm, she shared photos of herself with Wills online and wrote: “Prince William actually came to our family house today!! I am utterly honoured that he joined us for afternoon tea and champagne.
“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 put us all at ease.”
She was diagnosed with Stage 4 bowel cancer aged 35 in December 2016, and was given an eight per cent chance of living five years.
Yet, “riding on the wings of science” as Deborah described it, she defied the odds time and time again.
Last year she celebrated her 40th, and the five-year milestone.
However last summer the drugs that had been keeping her alive — which did not exist for bowel cancer patients when she was first diagnosed — stopped working.
Her liver started to fail.
Repeated operations led to four bouts of sepsis, and in January husband Seb rushed Deborah into hospital, where medics saved her life after finding a major internal bleed.
On Monday, she shared a heartbreaking Instagram post saying she was now receiving end-of-life care at her parents’ home, because the heroic efforts of her team of medics at The Royal Marsden Hospital in South West London were now fruitless.
She said her body “simply isn’t playing ball”, adding: “My body is so emaciated that I have no choice but to surrender to the inevitable.”
‘CAN’T CONTINUE ANYMORE’
In her final column for The Celeb Report, she said: “My body just can’t continue anymore.”
Yet, in typical Deborah style, she was determined to give her campaigning one final push.
She launched the Bowelbabe Fund, to raise money for Cancer Research UK, The Royal Marsden and Bowel Cancer UK.
And it has since topped £5.7m.
Official confirmation of her Damehood came at 10pm on Thursday, hours after The Celeb Report launched a campaign for it.
Seb, her husband of 13 years, said: “It has brought a piercing ray of light and hope into this, the darkest of times.”
