London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Jul 14, 2025

Deborah James: Podcast host visits Chelsea Flower Show to see rose namesake

Deborah James: Podcast host visits Chelsea Flower Show to see rose namesake

Podcast host Dame Deborah James has visited the Chelsea Flower Show to see a rose which has been named after her.

The 40-year-old host of the BBC's You, Me and the Big C podcast revealed earlier this month she is receiving end of life care after being diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2016.

The mother-of-two said she hoped one day the rose might feature in her daughter Eloise's wedding bouquet.

"It meant absolutely everything to me," she told the BBC.

Dame Deborah, who has said roses are her favourite flower, visited Chelsea on Tuesday evening with her husband for a private tour lasting around an hour - which BBC presenter Sophie Raworth helped organise alongside the Royal Horticultural Society Chelsea.

"Flowers are a reminder of our future," Dame Deborah said. "We plant the seed not knowing what we might see grow.

"Being around nature gives us a lift and it is a reminder that life continues to blossom, even in some of the hardest places, and brings a smile to all of our faces, even in the hardest of times - particularly mine."

The rose was introduced at the flower show on Monday by World of Roses as well as the Harkness Rose Company, which bred and named the rose.

Dame Deborah James (right) with BBC presenter Sophie Raworth (left) and the Dame Deborah James Rose at the Chelsea Flower Show

The Dame Deborah James rose is white with a subtle pink centre

Dame Deborah with a bouquet of flowers that includes the rose named after her


It is described as a floribunda which produces masses of white blooms with a subtle "ballet slipper pink" centre. It is repeat flowering from early June.

From the sale of each rose £2.50 will go to the Bowelbabe Fund for Cancer Research UK, which has raised £6.5m since Dame Deborah revealed that she was moving into hospice-at-home care.

Since her announcement, she has received an outpouring of support and been made a dame, with the honour conferred by Prince William at her family home on 13 May.


What are bowel cancer symptoms?


*  A persistent change in bowel habit - going more often, with looser stools and sometimes tummy pain

*  Blood in the stools without other symptoms, such as piles

*  Abdominal pain, discomfort or bloating always brought on by eating

Dame Deborah began co-presenting the Big C podcast alongside Lauren Mahon and the late BBC Radio 5 Live newsreader Rachel Bland in 2018, with the show earning praise for its frank discussion of cancer.

They spoke to celebrity guests and talked about practical matters including hair loss tips and how to tell your nearest and dearest.

James co-hosted You, Me and the Big C with Rachael Bland (left) and Lauren Mahon (centre)



Watch: Dame Deborah is greeted at Chelsea flower show with a glass of bubbly


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Defends Attorney General Pam Bondi Amid Epstein Memo Backlash
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
President Trump Visits Flood-Ravaged Texas, Praises Community Strength and First Responders
From Mystery to Meltdown, Crisis Within the Trump Administration: Epstein Files Ignite A Deepening Rift at the Highest Levels of Government Reveals Chaos, Leaks, and Growing MAGA Backlash
Trump Slams Putin Over War Death Toll, Teases Major Russia Announcement
Reparations argument crushed
Rainmaker CEO Says Cloud Seeding Paused Before Deadly Texas Floods
A 92-year-old woman, who felt she doesn't belong in a nursing home, escaped the death-camp by climbing a gate nearly 8 ft tall
French Journalist Acquitted in Controversial Case Involving Brigitte Macron
Elon Musk’s xAI Targets $200 Billion Valuation in New Fundraising Round
Kraft Heinz Considers Splitting Off Grocery Division Amid Strategic Review
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
EU Proposes New Tax on Large Companies to Boost Budget
Trump Imposes 35% Tariffs on Canadian Imports Amid Trade Tensions
Junior Doctors in the UK Prepare for Five-Day Strike Over Pay Disputes
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Biden’s Doctor Pleads the Fifth to Avoid Self-Incrimination on President’s Medical Fitness
Grok Chatbot Faces International Backlash for Antisemitic Content
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
×