'It'll be horrible saying goodbye to him. I can't really think about it right now'
Dame Deborah James has bid a tearful goodbye to her brother who is jetting off on holiday to the US, telling him "not to come back under any circumstances."
James was told she has just "days to live" in May, yet the podcaster and TV personality has continued to battle bowel cancer, which she was diagnosed with in 2016. The 40-year-old charity campaigner is currently receiving end-of-life care at home with her parents, though a notable absence is her brother.
"He's off on holiday to the US tomorrow. "I have told him they have to go, they've planned the trip for ages,"
she told The Sun. "I also told him he must not come back, under any circumstances. He says he'll come home. It'll be horrible saying goodbye to him. I can't really think about it right now."
Earlier this month, James shared a snap of herself alongside Ben and his now-fiance Ashley Claire Hall after he "finally put a ring on it!" The pair got engaged after 11 years together.
The momentous occasion was a hard one for James, who admitted on Instagram that it breaks her heart knowing she won't be there to witness such moments in the future.
"My brother will be the most amazing dad. I am so pleased he is engaged, I love Ashley and they are so happy together," she wrote." I have watched him with my kids over the years, and especially recently. He's that incredible fun uncle, he and Ashley spoil them rotten."
James added: "And he's wonderful with his godchildren too. It breaks my heart that I won't see their kids, or see the dad he will be."
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