Connect with us

Published

on

Author Sophie Kinsella has revealed she was diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer in 2022. 

The novelist, 54, is best known for her bestselling Shopaholic book series.

In a post on social media, Kinsella – whose real name is Madeleine Sophie Wickham – said she has been receiving chemotherapy and radiotherapy at London‘s University College Hospital, as well as undergoing “successful” surgery.

She said she “wanted for a long time to share with you a health update and I’ve been waiting for the strength to do so”.

“At the end of 2022 I was diagnosed with glioblastoma, a form of aggressive brain cancer,” she said. “I did not share this before because I wanted to make sure that my children were able to hear and process the news in privacy and adapt to our ‘new normal’.

“At the moment all is stable and I am feeling generally very well, though I get very tired and my memory is even worse than it was before!

“I am so grateful to my family and close friends who have been an incredible support to me, and to the wonderful doctors and nurses who have treated me.

More on Cancer

“I am also so grateful to my readers for your constant support. The wonderful response to The Burnout has really buoyed me up, during a difficult time.

“To everyone who is suffering from cancer in any form I send love and best wishes, as well as to those who support them,” she added.

“It can feel very lonely and scary to have a tough diagnosis, and the support and care of those around you means more than words can say.

“I’ll be in touch soon, and in the meanwhile, greetings from sunny London.”

Read more:
Hugh Grant settles case against The Sun
Post Office boss ‘exonerated’ after investigation

10 cities you’ll need to pay tourist tax in

Kinsella’s most recent book The Burnout was released in October 2023.

Her other books include Can You Keep A Secret? and The Undomestic Goddess.

The first two novels in her hit eight-book Shopaholic series, The Secret Dreamworld Of A Shopaholic and Shopaholic Abroad, were adapted into the 2009 film Confessions Of A Shopaholic, starring Isla Fisher.

Follow Sky News on WhatsApp
Follow Sky News on WhatsApp

Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News

Tap here

The actress commented on Kinsella’s Instagram post, writing: “Sending you so much love and healing energy.”

Kinsella’s books have sold around 45 million copies in more than 60 countries, and have been translated into more than 40 languages.

She has four sons and a daughter with her husband Henry Wickham.

Continue Reading

Entertainment

The Wanted star Max George recalls moment he wrote will from hospital bed before heart surgery

Published

on

By

The Wanted star Max George recalls moment he wrote will from hospital bed before heart surgery

The Wanted star Max George has told of the moment he wrote his will from a hospital bed, as he was convinced he “was going to die”.

In December, George revealed he had to undergo urgent heart surgery after being diagnosed with a block.

In an interview with The Sun, his first since he underwent the lifesaving surgery, the 36-year-old described the moment when he thought he would die.

He said: “If I could go from being absolutely on top of the world to being told ‘the bottom part of your heart isn’t working’, I kept thinking in my head, ‘Well, what if the top half stops working overnight?'”

“That first night I wrote a will, I thought I was going to die,” the 36-year-old musician added.

On the night of 13 December, George said his heart rate and blood pressure dropped, “I felt like I was dying,” he said.

He had a pacemaker fitted by doctors during the surgery, but the former Strictly Come Dancing star said he made a will on his phone fearing the worst.

More on The Wanted

Before the surgery, George said his thoughts turned to his partner, British actress Maisie Smith, and his family who he feared he’d leave behind.

He shared updates on social media throughout the process.

While the procedure was complicated by collapsed veins caused by the condition, the surgery was successful and he returned home before Christmas.

He described his pacemaker as “the best Christmas present”.

Read more from Sky News:
Katie Piper reveals artificial eye decision
Soul Man singer Sam Moore dies
Angelina Jolie on legacy, family and new film
Boris Johnson brands Putin a ‘f****** idiot’

Tom Parker, who also rose to fame in the 2010s with the boy band along with George, died at the age of 33 after being diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour.

Continue Reading

Entertainment

Former Little Mix star Jesy Nelson announces pregnancy – and it’s twins

Published

on

By

Former Little Mix star Jesy Nelson announces pregnancy - and it's twins

Former Little Mix star Jesy Nelson has announced she is pregnant with twins.

The singer, 33, said she was “eating for three now” on her Instagram alongside a polaroid picture of her with Zion Foster, with whom she was reported to have split up last year.

Nelson shared the touching post on Sunday, letting the world know she is set to become a mum for the first time – including two baby emojis next to her message.

The cosy picture shows the pair smiling in a kitchen.

Nelson rose to fame with the girl band Little Mix, which formed on The X Factor in 2011 and earned a string of UK number-one singles.

However, she left in December 2020 after nine years, saying the pressures of being in the group had taken a toll on her mental health.

Read more:
Little Mix ‘went to therapy’ after star’s ‘traumatic’ exit

Nelson has since performed as a solo artist but still had praise for her former bandmates, telling The Graham Norton Show in 2021: “To me they are still the sickest girl band in the world.”

Little Mix continued as a trio after Nelson’s departure in December 2020 before going on hiatus in 2022.

Continue Reading

Entertainment

Duchess of Sussex delays release of Netflix series due to LA fires

Published

on

By

Duchess of Sussex delays release of Netflix series due to LA fires

The Duchess of Sussex has delayed the release of her new Netflix series due to the devastation caused by the wildfires in LA, the streaming platform has announced.

Meghan’s eight-part series, With Love, will premiere on 4 March instead of 15 January.

“I’m thankful to my partners at Netflix for supporting me in delaying the launch, as we focus on the needs of those impacted by the wildfires in my home state of California,” Meghan said in a statement to Tudum, the official companion site to Netflix.

Harry and Meghan comforted volunteers and handed out food to evacuees during a visit to Pasadena on Friday, where they met with the city’s mayor Victor Gordo and emergency workers tackling the Eaton Fire.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Volunteering in Pasadena on 11/01/25
Image:
Prince Harry and Meghan were seen comforting residents on Friday

Footage showed the duchess, wearing a blue “LA” baseball cap, and the prince hugging and consoling people who had fled to the Pasadena Convention Center.

Latest on LA fires

They were also seen speaking Doug Goodwin, whose home was destroyed in the wildfires, and also to Jose Andres, founder of World Central Kitchen (WCK) which has been helping feed the public and emergency crews.

Prince Harry and Meghan speak to Pasadena mayor Victor Gordo in Altadena, California. Pic: AP
Image:
Prince Harry and Meghan spoke to Doug Goodwin (centre right), whose home was destroyed and Pasadena mayor Victor Gordo (right) in Altadena, California. Pic: AP

A description of the Netflix series on Tudum’s website said: “Produced by Meghan, ‘With Love, Meghan’ blends practical how-to’s and candid conversation with friends, new and old.

“Meghan shares personal tips and tricks, embracing playfulness over perfection, and highlights how easy it can be to create beauty, even in the unexpected.

“She and her guests roll up their sleeves in the kitchen, the garden, and beyond, and invite you to do the same.”

More from Sky News:
Body found after search of landfill site
How AI could help IVF couples
Former Little Mix star having twins

The royals live in Montecito, near Santa Barbara, around 90 miles from Los Angeles.

They are understood to have donated supplies, including clothing and children’s items, to people affected by the disaster.

They released a statement on Thursday urging people to help those affected by the wildfires and to open their homes to those evacuated.

Continue Reading

Trending