Lorraine Kelly has paid tribute to her late friend and No Butts campaign inspiration, Dame Deborah James.
The 62-year-old presenter appeared on Good Morning Britain to talk about podcaster and campaigner Deborah also known as Bowel Babe who passed away on June 28 at age 40, after a five-year battle with bowel cancer.
Lorraine also made the sweet gesture of wearing Deborah’s ‘Rebellious Hope’ t-shirt, which she created as part of a collaboration with InTheStyle to raise money for the Bowel Babe Fund.
Read more:Dame Deborah James' inspiring life from spreading awareness to raising £6million as she dies age 40
Susanna Reid described Lorraine as dressed in “absolute tribute” to Deborah as she appeared on the ITV morning show.
“A very difficult morning for you Lorraine,” Susanna, 51 began, “but you’re dressed absolutely in tribute to Dame Deborah aren’t you.”
“I am, I’ve got my Rebellious Hope t-shirt and pink which of course was one of her favourite colours,” Lorraine revealed.
“We’re going to celebrate her life, it seems really strange as we knew this was coming, but you kind of don’t think it’s actually going to happen as she’s bounced back so often,” Lorraine admitted.
She reflected that in January, Deborah was “really, really ill” and still “bounced back” from that so she “thought she’s going to be OK.”
Before she added: “What a legacy, what a legacy. She’s saved lives, she has saved lives and we’re going to remember her with a lot of joy and boy would she have made some politician, she was just a woman that got things done.”
Susanna continued: “Didn’t she just. I mean not least 7 million pounds.”
“Oh, Susanna it’s amazing, even in the last couple of weeks in her life campaigning, she got them to put on toilet rolls the symptoms of bowel cancer which is such a brilliant idea, why didn't we do that before and she’s just… I’m still saying she is, I’m finding it quite hard to say she was, but yeah remarkable, remarkable woman."
Susanna admitted she was devasted for Deborah’s family. She said: “It’s so tough for her family… we’re all going to celebrate her life and her achievements but what a loss.”
“They’ve been so astonishing,” Lorraine echoed, “her mum came in and helped with the No Butts campaign and her wee mum came in to help as Deborah was the heart of that campaign.”
Susanna paid tribute to Dame Deborah with a voice heavy with emotion. She declared: “Huge pride in that remarkable woman, a great mum, a wonderful daughter, a fabulous wife and a terrific campaigner and a friend of yours.”
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Lorraine suggested that actually, Dame Deborah was a “friend to us all” as she “touched all of us” in some way.
Susanna later became emotional as she reflected on how much feels the tragic loss of her young life, she said: “Even if you’d never met her, I think everyone felt like they knew Dame Deborah James, who has sadly passed away way too early at the age of 40. A five-year battle, of course, with cancer.
“She was an absolutely remarkable woman, who fought right to the end to raise awareness of the condition.
“Our hearts go out to her children… and her husband Sebastian, and her parents."
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