Sophie Kinsella, beloved rom-com novelist behind the Shopaholic series, has died at 55.
Her family confirmed on Wednesday that the author, whose real name was Madeleine Sophie Wickham, died following complications from glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. Kinsella had reportedly lived with the disease privately since 2022, only just revealing her diagnosis publicly last year.
“We are heartbroken to announce the passing this morning of our beloved Sophie (aka Maddy, aka Mummy)," her family shared in a statement shared to her social media accounts. "She died peacefully, with her final days filled with her true loves: family and music and warmth and Christmas and joy.”
View this post on InstagramGlioblastoma is one of the most aggressive types of brain cancer. About 14,000 people are diagnosed with the disease each year in the U.S., according to a 2017 report from the National Cancer Institute. Of that number, around 160 people survive five years or more.
The Glioblastomas Foundation states on its website that the disease accounts for "half of all the tumors that arise in the brain," with the median age for patients diagnosed being 65. Recently, however, it's becoming more common in younger adults under the age of 40.
The cancer develops from glial cells in the brain. It grows quickly and often returns even after surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation — the standard treatments available today. Symptoms can include headaches, memory loss, seizures, personality changes, speech issues, and extreme fatigue.
While there is currently no official cure for glioblastoma, according to the American Brain Foundation, clinical trials to find alternative treatment options are "ongoing."
Specifically, researchers are looking into immunotherapy and personalized vaccines. So far, those studies have not led to a significant increase in life expectancy
What Kinsella Said About Her Diagnosis
Kinsella’s final published work, the 2024 novella What Does It Feel Like?, reflected candidly on her diagnosis. Other known figures, such as Michael Bolton and "Scary Mommy" creator Jill Smokler, have also been diagnosed with the disease, along with Sheinelle Jones' late husband, Uche Ojeh.
After going public with her diagnosis, wrote on Instagram this past summer, per Us Weekly, that she's been "surrounded by the love and support of so many friends, family and readers from around the world."
“I’m incredibly grateful too for the wonderful medical care l’ve received. Brain cancer is an exceptionally hard to treat disease, and needs so much more research," she continued.
She also shouted out the Brain Tumour Charity, writing that it's a "fantastic supporter of research and trials which will make a difference to sufferers and families now, and to those who are diagnosed in the future.”
What Is Kinsella Known For?
Born in London in 1969 and educated at Oxford, Kinsella began her career as a financial journalist before publishing her first novel, The Tennis Party, at age 24. She went on to write seven novels under her married name, Madeleine Wickham.
Her global breakthrough, however, arrived under her pen name with 2000’s The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic (published in the U.S. as Confessions of a Shopaholic).
The book introduced the character Becky Bloomwood — a flawed, compulsive shopper. Her adventures launched a franchise that sold more than 45 million copies worldwide. Two books in the series became the hit 2009 film Confessions of a Shopaholic, starring Isla Fisherand Hugh Dancy.
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