What was Tessa Jowell’s cause of death, when was her brain cancer diagnosis and who are her husband and children?
LABOUR peer Tessa Jowell opened up about her battle with an aggressive brain cancer for the first time in early 2018.
In May her family sadly announced her death. Here we look back at her life and the illness she suffered from.
Who was Tessa Jowell and what was her cause of death?
The former minister for public health and culture secretary was diagnosed with a high-grade brain tumour known as glioblastoma in May 2017.
She went public about the cancer on her birthday in September 2017.
The former MP for Dulwich and West Norwood spoke publicly about the cancer for the first time in an interview with the Today programme on January 24, 2018.
She said was "not afraid" and wanted to raise awareness about the realities of the cancer.
She called for a change in NHS rules so cancer patients are allowed to take on the risk of undergoing different innovative treatments.
In a moving speech in the House of Lords on January 25, she spoke of suffering seizures in a taxi.
A tumour was removed from her brain, and she was receiving radio and chemotherapy too.
"In the end, what gives a life meaning is not only how it is lived, but how it draws to a close," she said.
"I hope that this debate will give hope to other cancer patients like me so that we can live well together with cancer, not just dying of it."
Her death was announced on May 13, 2018.
The family spokesman said: “It is with great sadness, and an enormous sense of loss, that we announce the death of Tessa Jowell.
"She died peacefully at the family home near Shipston-on-Stour in Warwickshire last night, shortly after 10pm.
"Her husband David and their children Jessie and Matthew were by her side, with Jessie’s husband Finn, Matthew’s wife Ella, and David’s children from his first marriage.”
What is glioblastoma?
Glioblastoma is the most common high grade cancerous primary brain tumour in adults.
There are no known causes of glioblastoma, as is the case with most brain tumours.
The aggressive cancer is difficult to treat and is resistant to treatment, as the cells within the tumour are not all of the same type.
How old was the Labour peer and who's her husband?
Tessa Jowell was born on September 17, 1947.
She died on May 12, 2018 at the age of 70.
She married her first husband, Roger Jowell, in 1970 and the marriage ended in 1976.
Her wedding to second husband David Mills took place in 1979. They separated in 2006 but did not divorce.
Tessa Jowell has a son Matthew Mills, who is married to Ella Woodward aka Deliciously Ella, and a daughter, Jess Mills, who is a singer-songwriter.
She also has three stepchildren.
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When was she named Baroness?
After standing down from the House of Commons, Tessa was made a Labour peer in the 2015 Dissolution Honours, allowing her to sit in the House of Lords.
She took the title of Baroness Jowell and sits with the Labour Party benches.
Ms Jowell was sworn to the Privy Council in 1998 and was appointed a Dame in 2012.
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