Beloved author Sophie Kinsella, best known for her global bestseller "Confessions of a Shopaholic", has died at the age of 55 after a three-year battle with brain cancer. The British author and mother-of-five, real name Madeleine Sophie Wickham, was diagnosed with an "aggressive" form of glioblastoma brain cancer in 2022.
Her family shared the heartbreaking news of her death via an Instagram post on Wednesday. "We are heartbroken to announce the passing this morning of our beloved Sophie (aka Maddy, aka Mummy)," her loved ones shared on social media. "She died peacefully, with her final days filled with her true loves: family and music and warmth and Christmas and joy."
A Star Is Gone
The statement from the family continued, "We can't imagine what life will be like without her radiance and love of life. Despite her illness, which she bore with unimaginable courage, Sophie counted herself truly blessed – to have such wonderful family and friends, and to have had the extraordinary success of her writing career.
"She took nothing for granted and was forever grateful for the love she received.
"She will be missed so much our hearts are breaking," the message ended.
Kinsella had opened up about her battle with brain cancer in April 2024, sharing the news with her readers and fans.
"At the end of 2022 I was diagnosed with glioblastoma, a form of aggressive brain cancer," she wrote on Instagram at the time. "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,'" she shared in an Instagram at the time.
"I have been under the care of the excellent team at University College Hospital in London and have had successful surgery and subsequent radiotherapy and chemotherapy, which is still ongoing," she explained. "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!"
Kinsella went on to "send love and best wishes" to all those suffering from cancer and those who overcame the deadly disease.
"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," she noted.
Star in Her Own Right
Born in London in 1969, Kinsella initially studied music at Oxford before switching to economics, politics, and philosophy, eventually working as a financial journalist. She published her first novel, "The Tennis Party", at just 24 and went on to write six more books under the name Wickham.
Later, she adopted the pen name Sophie Kinsella, using her middle name and her mother's maiden name, when she found worldwide fame with Confessions of a Shopaholic, originally titled "The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic."
In 2009, Isla Fisher brought Kinsella's creation to life on the big screen, starring as Becky Bloomwood — a shopping-obsessed financial journalist — in the film adaptation. The movie also featured Hugh Dancy and Krysten Ritter and was based on the first two books in Kinsella's popular series, which eventually grew to nine novels.
Kinsella once admitted she was amazed that no one had come up with such a story before.
"A light went off and I thought, 'hang on a minute! Why has no one done this?'" she told CBS in 2014. "It's a feeling, it's a lust!" she added of women's love for retail.
In 2019, Kinsella shared that she had chosen to change her name to better reflect the tone and style of her newer books.
