Sophie Kinsella, Author of ‘Shopaholic’ Series, Dies at 55

Sophie Kinsella, the best-selling author behind the Confessions of a Shopaholic book series, has died after a battle with brain cancer. She was 55.

The British author, whose real name was Madeleine Sophie Wickham, sold more than 50 million books worldwide, including a popular series following the life of a fictional shopping-addicted woman in London.

Her family shared news of her death on social media on Wednesday,saying the author died peacefully,”with her final days filled with her true loves: family and music and warmth and Christmas and joy.”

Wickham’s literary agent also confirmed her passing too CBC News in an email.

The writer first announced that she had glioblastoma – an aggressive form of brain cancer – in April 2024, after she was first diagnosed in 2022.

At the time, Wickham said she was undergoing radiation therapy after having surgery. She told her fans that she delayed telling them about the diagnosis initially to give her family time to process the news adjust to thier “new normal.”

Glioblastomas are the most common high-grade brain tumours among adults, according to the Brain Tumor Charity. The charity says only 25 per cent of patients live longer than a year after diagnosis, while only five per cent of patients survive more than five years.

“Despite her illness, which she bore with unimaginable courage, Sophie counted herself truly blessed – to have such fantastic family and friends, and to have had the remarkable success of her writing career,” Wickham’s family wrote in the announcement. “She took nothing for granted and was forever grateful for the love she received.”

Journalist turned novelist

Wickham first worked as a financial journalist before turning to fiction.

She told author-publisher Zibby Owens on her podcast, Moms Don’t Have Time to Read Books, that the idea of writing never crossed her mind in early life.

“It wasn’t my childhood ambition. I wasn’t the child walking around saying,’I’m going to write a novel one day.'”

Wickham enrolled at Oxford University to study music but switched to the politics, philosophy and economics program after a year.

While working as a journalist, wickham read to pass the time during her commute, and the idea to write fiction herself began to take shape on the train.

Wickham wrote more than 30 books over her career – some novels and some kids books – which have sold more