Dame Deborah James has paid tribute to her dad on Father’s Day, sharing an intimate picture of him brushing her long hair.
Deborah – who last month was given days to live – wrote a heartbreaking message to accompany the image on Instagram Stories.
“Happy Father’s Day,” she began. “Yes my dad is brushing my hair as I have no strength anymore to brush this.”
Yesterday, Deborah, 40, branded her dad her hero in an interview with The Sun.
She said of Alistair: “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.
“My whole life, he has just been standing behind me, quietly holding me up.”
She also revealed to The Sun sadness for the men in her life she won’t see become fathers.
“For me, this year [Father’s Day is] about my dad and [my husband] Seb, but it’s also about the men in my life who will hopefully one day be fathers too, my son and brother.
“I can’t really comprehend the fact I won’t be here to see that. It breaks me.”
And she paid tribute to her husband as a father.
“The biggest thing for me right now, not knowing how long I have left, is that the kids will be okay.
“Seb is a great father, he’s incredible with them both.
“I have absolutely no concerns about what will happen to the kids.
“He dotes on them and I know they will want for nothing.
“He loves them so much, and I know that when I’m no longer here, he will love them for me too.”
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Rebellious Hope In The Style landmark
Meanwhile, Deborah, 40, revealed yesterday that her clothing range for In The Style has now raised £1million pounds.
View this post on Instagram
She shared on Instagram: “WOW!! 💫 ONE MILLION POUNDS 💫 I am honestly so overwhelmed we, through @inthestyle raised over £1,000,000 for @bowelbabefund for @cr_uk!
“All from sales of the ITS x Dame Deborah James collection and ‘Rebellious Hope’ T-shirts that I designed with @inthestyle. (One million, that’s just crazy.)
“I got a lovely little visit yesterday from the @inthestyle founder @fr15by and his partner @thejamiecorbett who brought this lovely cheque and we have had a little toast to celebrate it. I just can’t believe it!
“What’s funny is when @inthestyle released the first t-shirt we both said how incredible £50k raised would be so for me to still be here and see it’s over £1mil is just so incredible!
Read more: Deborah James clears up confusion over TV appearance
“‘Rebellious Hope’ is what has got me through the last few years and it’s what is keeping me going now!
“Seeing all your messages, tags and support has just been the best and I am so grateful that we have been able to do this together! Thank you all.”
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