Deborah James shares ‘proud’ update after huge victory in bowel cancer campaign as Davina McCall hails ‘miraculous’ pal
DAME Deborah James said she feels "so proud" to partner with Tesco in a bowel cancer awareness campaign.
The Sun writer, 40, also urged followers to see a GP if they notice any unusual changes to bowel habits.
And her telly's Davina McCall, 54, said she is in awe of her friend, who she praised as miraculous
Supermarket Tesco announced today it will print the signs and symptoms of bowel cancer on its toilet paper packets following Deborah's campaign.
She wrote this evening on Instagram: "I’m so proud to be exclusively partnering with Tesco to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of bowel cancer on of their Luxury Soft loo roll.
"Together with WEPA UK they are donating £300,000 to Bowelbabe Fund for Cancer Research UK.
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"If you’ve noticed any unusual changes to your bowel habits talk to your GP, visit a Tesco Pharmacist or see more online at Cancer Research UK."
She added on her story: "I'm very happy that this is happening. A million toilet rolls per week!"
Deborah is receiving end-of-life care after being diagnosed with the disease in 2016.
Tesco also donated £300,000 to her , which has raised an incredible £6.7million to fund clinical research into the disease.
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And Davina McCall told the : "I know that she just battles through as hard as she can but her positivity has shone through all the way and what I’ve loved about her is she’s kept us abreast of everything that she’s going through.
"Even at her illest she is still out there campaigning and fighting. I’m in awe of Deborah. "
Deborah's mum Heather has now praised her inspirational daughter after she called on all UK supermarkets to change their packaging.
She shared an image of the new campaign from Tesco, writing: "Well done Deborah and a big thank you to @tescofood for your support and £300,000 donation to the @bowelbabefund".
Tesco also posted about the new loo rolls on their Instagram and revealed they will be hitting the shelves from July.
A statement said: "We’re exclusively partnering with @bowelbabe Dame Deborah James to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of bowel cancer on packs of our Luxury Soft loo roll.
"Together with WEPA UK we’re also donating £300,000 to the Bowelbabe Fund for @cr_uk.
"If you’ve noticed any unusual changes to your bowel habits talk to your GP, visit a Tesco Pharmacist or see more online at Cancer Research UK."
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It comes after Deborah said she was “bored of puppies” on loo roll - the key feature of Andrex’s marketing - leading to the brand to commit to raising awareness of symptoms.
Marks & Spencer and Aldi have also made the major change thanks to Deborah's tireless campaigning.
The mum-of-two has been on a mission to get people to check their poo since she was told she had bowel cancer at the age of 35, in 2016.
She has now revealed the disease is no longer treatable and is receiving palliative care at her parent’s home.
She launched the on the day she revealed she didn’t have much longer left, asking followers to “buy me a drink to see me out this world, by donating”.
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Deborah said: "We need actual information signposted on those loo rolls so I'm hoping lots of other big brands will now go ‘yeah, hang on, this makes massive sense. This is what we need to be doing’.
"It's the start of things to come, I think we should now do a big shout out to other companies now, saying come on where's your signs and symptoms.”
The signs of bowel cancer you need to know - remember BOWEL
- B:Bleeding
There are several possible causes of bleeding from your bottom, of blood in your poo.
Bright red blood could come from swollen blood vessels, haemorrhoids or piles, in your back passage.
Dark red or black blood could come from your bowel or stomach.
Blood in your stools is one of the key signs of bowel cancer, so it’s important to mention it to your doctor so they can investigate.
2. O: Obvious change in loo habits
It’s important to tell your GP if you have noticed any changes in your bowel habits, that lasts three weeks or longer.
It’s especially important if you have also noticed signs of blood in your poo.
You might notice you need to go to the loo more often, you might have looser stools or feel like you’re not going enough or fully emptying your bowels.
Don’t be embarrassed, your GP will have heard a lot worse! Speak up and get it checked.
3. W: Weight loss
This is less common than the other symptoms, but an important one to be aware of. If you’ve lost weight and don’t really know why, it’s worth mentioning to your GP.
You may not feel like eating, feel sick, bloated and not hungry.
4. E: Extreme tiredness
Bowel cancer that causes bleeding can cause a lack of iron in the body – anaemia. If you develop anaemia you’re likely to feel tired and your skin might look pale.
5. L: Lump or pain
As with lots of other forms of cancer, a lump or pain can be a sign of bowel cancer.
It’s most likely you’ll notice a pain or lump in your stomach or back passage.
See your GP if it doesn’t go away, or if it affects how you eat or sleep
