Deborah James persuaded me to get my chronic stomach pain checked – Hayley Matthews

You may feel sad, have that sinking feeling and with it, possibly, a little guilt that your grief is nowhere near as intense as the family’s.

This is how I feel with the passing of Dame Deborah James. I'd never met her but can relate to her, having had similar careers. I have a family like she does, I have also some bowel troubles and ongoing investigations that worry me hugely.

But the thing that I found really difficult was watching her decline. I'd been following her for a while and always just thought she'd be OK. She was young, happy and radiant. There were no signs of a ‘stereotypical’ cancer patient.

She was lucky enough to keep most of her hair (she'd mentioned how thick it was), was incredibly glamorous, but most of all seemed full of energy.