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Sophie Kinsella’s heart-breaking last social media post
The novelist, real name Madeleine Sophie Wickham, was best known for her bestselling Shopaholic book series.
Earlier this afternoon ( December 10), her family posted on her X and Instagram account: “We are heartbroken to announce the passing this morning of our beloved Sophie (aka Maddy, aka Mummy).
“She died peacefully, with her final days filled with her true loves: family and music and warmth and Christmas and joy. We can’t imagine what life will be like without her. ”
Devastated to hear of the death of Jilly Cooper, the funniest, smartest, sexiest, most fabulous author, beloved by all. I’ll miss you, Jilly 😢❤️ pic.twitter.com/xoXsc1vOFO
— Sophie Kinsella (@KinsellaSophie) October 6, 2025
Back in October, Kinsella paid a heartfelt tribute to fellow author Dame Jilly Cooper, best known for her long-running Rutshire Chronicles series.
In the post, Kinsella said: “Devastated to hear of the death of Jilly Cooper, the funniest, smartest, sexiest, most fabulous author, beloved by all. I’ll miss you, Jilly”.
After confirming she had been diagnosed with an ‘aggressive’ form of brain cancer last year, Kinsella sadly passed away today at the age of 55.
She said at the time that she had been receiving chemotherapy and radiotherapy, writing on Instagram: “To my dear readers and followers. I’ve 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. 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.’
In a statement, her family continued: “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.”
