Sophie Kinsella, beloved author of the bestselling Shopaholic series, has been remembered as a “wonderful, warm woman” after her death at 55.
Kinsella — born Madeleine Sophie Wickham — was diagnosed with an aggressive brain cancer in 2022.
Jojo Moyes, author of Me Before You and a friend for two decades, told BBC News she had “never met anyone who carried more grace.”
“She was deeply kind, incredibly intelligent, and wore her success with effortless humility,” Moyes added.
Jojo Moyes told the BBC’s David Sillito that “there wasn’t a single person who met her who didn’t light up in her presence. She was simply good and kind, and people sensed that through her characters.”
Moyes added that Kinsella was “one of the best people I’ve ever met… I feel so glad to have known her, and so lucky to have had her in my life.”
Kinsella’s novels have sold more than 50 million copies across over 60 countries and have been translated into more than 40 languages.
Author Jodi Picoult said Kinsella “will be missed greatly,” while fellow novelist Adele Parks remembered her as a “wonderful, warm woman” who “brought so much joy to the world.” Parks added that although she will be deeply missed, “she’ll also be celebrated, living on in millions of minds and hearts.”
Writer Jenny Colgan told BBC Radio 5 Live Drive that losing someone close makes it difficult to capture who they truly were, but that anyone who has read a Sophie Kinsella novel already knows: “She was exactly like her writing—really funny, really warm.”
Sophie Kinsella revealed in 2024 that she had been diagnosed with glioblastoma two years earlier.
In a statement on Wednesday, her family said they were “heartbroken” to announce the death of “our beloved Sophie.”
“She died peacefully, with her final days filled with her greatest loves: family, music, warmth, Christmas, and joy,” they said.
They added: “We can’t imagine life without her radiance and zest for living. Despite her illness, which she bore with unimaginable courage, Sophie always felt blessed—blessed by her family and friends, and blessed by the extraordinary success of her writing career.
“She took nothing for granted and remained endlessly grateful for the love she received. We will miss her more than words can express; our hearts are breaking.”
‘A Unique Voice’
Kinsella’s publisher said she “defined and elevated romantic comedy, bringing real-life issues to the genre with wit, emotional depth, and social insight.”
Bill Scott-Kerr, her longtime publisher at Transworld, described her as “our author, our cheerleader, our fellow conspirator, and our friend.”
“Maddy leaves behind an indelible legacy—a unique voice, an unquenchable spirit, and a body of work that will continue inspiring us to reach higher and be better, just like the characters she created,” he said.
British rom-com writer Jill Mansell added: “Maddy was a brilliant writer but, even more importantly, a truly lovely person. She brought so much joy to the world.”
Her agents, Araminta Whitley and Marina de Pass, remembered her as “an intelligent, imaginative, loving and irreverent woman who believed deeply in the connective power of fiction.”
They continued: “She had a rare gift for creating emotionally resonant characters and stories that spoke to readers everywhere, no matter what they were facing. She also had unmatched wit and a remarkable ability to find humor in life. Comedy, for her, was both an art and an intellectual pursuit—a delicate balance of light and dark.”
Jojo Moyes agreed, telling the BBC: “People assume Sophie’s books were easy because they were so easy to read. But anyone who has tried to replicate her work knows she was a master plotter and a master of character. She was, quite simply, a genius.”
A Remarkable Career
Born in London in 1969, Kinsella studied music at New College, Oxford, before switching to philosophy, politics, and economics.
At 24, while working as a financial journalist, she wrote her first novel, The Tennis Party, under her married name, Madeleine Wickham. The book became a top-10 bestseller and was praised by critics. She went on to publish six more novels under the Wickham name.
Five years later, writing as Sophie Kinsella, she released The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic—known internationally as Confessions of a Shopaholic. The book introduced Becky Bloomwood, a lovable but financially chaotic journalist with a passion for shopping.
“I realized that shopping had become a national pastime, and nobody had written about it,” Kinsella once said.
The first two novels were adapted into the 2009 film Confessions of a Shopaholic, starring Isla Fisher. The runaway success of the series led to eight more Shopaholic novels and a short story, along with 18 additional books—including a young adult novel and four children’s books. Her other popular titles include Can You Keep a Secret? and The Undomestic Goddess.
Although her books were often labeled “chick lit,” Kinsella accepted the term with good humor—even if she found it slightly limiting. “If people say, ‘Your books are beach reads,’ I say, ‘Great—read them on the beach!’”
Her final book, What Does It Feel Like?, published in October 2024, was a semi-fictional account of her cancer diagnosis, written after undergoing surgery. In the introduction, she said she had always made sense of her life through writing: “Hiding behind my fictional characters, I’ve always turned my own life into a narrative. It’s my version of therapy.”
Kinsella is survived by her husband Henry and their five children.
What Is a Glioblastoma?
Glioblastomas are the most aggressive and deadly form of brain cancer. Around 3,200 people in the UK are diagnosed each year, but only about 160 survive for five years or longer.
The cancer grows rapidly and often returns even after surgery. Symptoms can include headaches caused by pressure in the brain, changes in personality, memory issues, difficulty speaking, extreme fatigue, depression, seizures, and vision problems.
Treatment typically includes chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and, when possible, surgery to remove as much of the tumor as possible.
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