Dame Deborah James reveals her father has to brush her hair because she is no longer strong enough to do it herself
Dame Deborah, who is currently receiving palliative care at her parents’ home in Woking, marked Father’s Day with a touching tribute, describing how he has ‘always been a very calming, loving presence’.
The Instagram post read: ‘Happy Father’s Day! Yes my Dad is brushing my hair because I have no strength anymore to brush this….’
And speaking to The Sun, she added: ‘My dad is my unsung hero, more so than ever. He’s quietly there behind the scenes, making sure I am OK.
‘He’s always been a very calming, loving presence in my life — he’s very good at handling me and all my craziness. His patience knows no bounds.’
She continued: ‘It didn’t matter how naughty I’d been, he knew how to handle me. When I ruined the bathroom when I dyed my hair, he took it all in his stride.
‘Even at the age of 40, he was the man I called if I broke down. He would walk to me with a can of petrol when I ran out and needed to be rescued.
‘My whole life, he has just been standing behind me, quietly holding me up.’
Dame Deborah recalled how only her mother Heather was allowed to visit her in hospital due to Covid restrictions earlier this year.
Alistair, though, drove her to the hospital every day to ensure the beloved campaigner did not spend any time alone.
Earlier this week, Dame Deborah said she was looking forward to celebrating Father’s Day with her husband Seb, children Hugo, 14, and Eloise, 12, as well as her father and mother Heather.
She also revealed her husband Seb is an ‘incredible’ father to their two children And she was thrilled when her brother Ben proposed to his girlfriend of 11 years Ashley.
Dame Deborah said it ‘breaks her heart’ knowing her family are having to watch her live with bowel cancer, adding that her father has also been helping with cooking.
She said she finds cooking ‘really therapeutic’, but is ‘painfully slow at everything’.
The former headteacher said: ‘The other night cooking fajitas took about an hour and a half, when it should’ve taken 30 minutes.
‘Rather than just try and do it for me, he passed me the different ingredients and let me do my thing. It sounds like a small thing, but it means the world – and I love doing it with him.’
The tribute came a day after she spoke of being ‘overwhelmed’ after her campaign for fashion brand In The Style reached £1million raised for charity.
All proceeds from sales of the t-shirt go to the BowelBabe Fund, which has raised more than £6.7m so far. The mother-of-two has been making the most of the time she has left after revealing last month that she’s no longer receiving active treatment for her cancer.