Dame Deborah James’ father recalls emotional conversation they had before she died
Dame Deborah James’s dad has recalled their conversation on the day she died, in an emotional new interview published on Father’s Day (18 June). James was diagnosed with incurable stage four bowel cancer in 2016, when she was 35. Using the moniker “bowel babe”, she campaigned tirelessly to raise awareness about the symptoms of the disease until her death on 28 June 2022. Her BowelBabe fund has raised over £11.3m for Cancer Research UK at the time of writing, and James was awarded a damehood last May for her activism. In an interview with The Sun, her father Alistair James explained how James was committed to living a full life until the very end. “She was always full of energy, the driving force in our family. She was always coming up with fun ideas, ways to make memories together,” he said. “She would create outdoor cinemas in the garden, plan last-minute holidays, throw impromptu parties – it was never-ending.” James was receiving palliative care at her parents’ home in Surrey in the weeks before her death. “We all knew how desperate it was and we did have some desperately sad times. But we all made sure there were lots of good times, too,” Alistair told the outlet. He also reflected on the day James died, with him and his wife Heather by her side. “Heather suddenly called for me, telling me it was happening and I needed to come now. Saying goodbye was very hard, but it was peaceful,” the 67-year-old said. “Right towards the end, I told her, ‘You can let go now, you have done enough. You can sleep’. I’d never said anything like that before.” Their Father’s Day celebrations usually involved watching sports together, Alistair said. “I remember her taking me to The Ashes cricket four years ago. She loved every minute of it. We loved days out at Wimbledon together,” he continued. “It’s those things that I’ll really miss.” Alistair also expressed his sadness for James’s husband Sebastian, and their children Hugo and Eloise, who will miss out on celebrating many milestones together. James called Alistair “my unsung hero” in a moving post on Father’s Day last year – days before she died. She shared a picture of him brushing her hair, with a caption that read: “My dad is my unsung hero, more so than ever. He’s quietly there behind the scenes, making sure I am OK.” Earlier this year, an impactful documentary chronicling James’s campaign efforts was released on BBC Two. BowelBabe in Her Own Words stitches together 100 hours of recordings – from James’s podcast You Me, and the Big C, her Instagram and TikTok videos, text messages, voice notes and old home videos – to tell the activist’s story. Read More I’m about to experience my first Father’s Day without my Dad Adam Kay says his ‘life has been transformed’ after ‘welcoming two young babies’ via surrogate Prince William all smiles as he’s pictured with his children to mark Father’s Day Alan Carr’s ex Paul Drayton criticises comedian’s ‘really nasty’ comments about friendship with Adele Somehow everyone has become a body language expert
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Glastonbury regular reveals best clothing to take to festivals - and what to avoid
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Can you whip up the perfect burger in just five minutes?
Nothing says summer like a juicy, flavour-packed burger straight off the grill, but what if you’re short on time? According to Sorted Food’s Kush Bhasin, all you need is five minutes. In the Sub-10 Minute Burger Challenge on their YouTube channel, Bhasin topped the leaderboard with an impressive 1 minute 58 seconds cooking time. Luckily for us, he later refined the recipe so we can achieve the same greatness in just five minutes. Five-minute burger Makes: 1 Takes: 5 mins Ingredients: 250g beef mince 50g gherkins, sliced ½ gem lettuce 1 tbsp American mustard 2 tbsp mayonnaise 1 tbsp ketchup 1 burger bun, sliced 4 American-style cheese slices Method: Preheat the grill/broiler to high. Place a large frying pan over a high heat. Form the beef mince into 2 very thin burger-shaped patties, and then place them into the large frying pan, smashing them down as you go. Cook for 45 seconds and then flip the patties – repeat on the 2nd side until well browned all over. Finely chop the gherkins and shred the lettuce. Place the mustard, mayonnaise, ketchup, gherkins, and lettuce into a medium mixing bowl and mix until well combined. Toast the burger buns under the grill for 1 minute until golden brown. Once the burger patties are coloured on both sides, season lightly with salt and pepper. Add 2 slices of cheese to each. Add 1 tbsp of water to the pan and cover with a lid to steam and melt the cheese for 20 seconds. Layer the burger sauce and burger patties onto the burger bun base and top with the bun lid. Serve. Read More These are the viral TikTok recipes you have to make this Father’s Day Eddie Huang: ‘I’ll never eat at BAO London – I know mine’s better’ BBQ salad recipes without a soggy lettuce leaf in sight Grace Dent’s quick and easy recipes that only require the microwave How to shop for and cook Japanese food at home like a pro Crystelle Pereira: ‘This is controversial but... French food isn’t that great’
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