World-renowned author Sophie Kinsella has died aged 55, her family has confirmed, following a diagnosis of an aggressive form of brain cancer.

Kinsella, best known for the globally successful Shopaholic series – two of which were adapted into the 2009 film Confessions of a Shopaholic starring Isla Fisher -revealed her illness publicly in April 2024.

According to The Sun, the mother-of-five first suspected something was wrong when she began losing her balance, tripping, and experiencing severe headaches.

Doctors later discovered an “aggressive” tumour, and she underwent an eight-hour operation to remove it. After the surgery, she reportedly had no memory of either the procedure or the diagnosis.

Her family announced her death in a statement shared on her Instagram account on Wednesday.

It read, “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 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.”

Kinsella had disclosed her diagnosis to readers last year, writing, “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.”

She explained at the time that she was receiving chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Across her career, Kinsella published 34 books and sold more than 45 million copies in over 60 countries, with translations in more than 40 languages. 

Her bestselling works include Can You Keep A Secret?, The Undomestic Goddess, and The Burnout, released in October 2023.

Born Madeleine Sophie Wickham, she graduated with a Politics, Philosophy, and Economics (PPE) degree from New College at the University of Oxford and first worked as a financial journalist. 

Although journalism was “her only choice” early in her career, she soon shifted to writing fiction, publishing novels under her real name at age 24 before adopting the pen name Sophie Kinsella ahead of the Shopaholic series.

She is survived by her husband, Henry Wickham, and their five children.

According to the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, glioblastoma is a fast-growing and aggressive brain tumour that typically forms in the frontal and temporal lobes. It is the most common malignant brain tumour, accounting for 47.7 per cent of cases.

Her agents, Araminta Whitley and Marina de Pass at The Soho Agency, issued a tribute to the author.

“Maddy was a once-in a-lifetime author and friend, and it has been the privilege of our working lives to represent her since the beginning of her career.

“Over the last three decades, her success has been truly international: she published 34 novels across adult, YA (young adult) and children’s publishing that have topped charts around the world, breaking records and defying expectations. Yet reaching higher heights wasn’t what drove her.

“Maddy was an intelligent, imaginative, loving and irreverent woman who valued the deeply connective power of fiction. She had a rare gift for creating emotionally resonant protagonists and stories that spoke to, and entertained, readers wherever they were in the world and whatever challenges they faced.

“She also had an unmatched wit and ability to find the funny side.

“Comedy, for her, was both an art form and an intellectual pursuit and she instinctively understood that it is often a tightrope act of balancing light with dark.”

Their statement continued, “It is hard to contemplate life and work without Maddy. We will remember her for her warmth, insight and irrepressible sense of humour, for the magnificent, witty and resonant novels she leaves behind, and for making our days infinitely more meaningful and fun.

“We are completely heartbroken at her death. We loved her dearly and will miss her more than we can say.”

Images: Instagram