British novelist Sophie Kinsella, the author behind the bestselling Shopaholic book series, died on Wednesday, December 10, 2025, following a long illness.
She was 55.
Her family shared the sad news in an Instagram post, saying Sophie “died peacefully, with her final days filled with her true loves: family and music and warmth and Christmas and joy.”
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The statement read: “We are heartbroken to announce the passing this morning of our beloved Sophie (aka Maddy, aka Mummy).
“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.”
In April 2024, Sophie revealed that she had been diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer, in 2022.
Despite surgery, doctors found the cancer to be incurable. But this did not stop Sophie from continuing to write and inspire.
Sophie Kinsella’s Legacy
Sophie sold over 50 million books in 60 countries, with translations into more than 40 languages.
She began her writing career at the age of 24 with The Tennis Party in 1995 under her real name, Madeleine Wickham, while working as a financial journalist.
The book was acclaimed by critics and became a Top 10 bestseller.
With that success, she released six more novels as Madeleine Wickham before she began using her pen name Sophie Kinsella.
The first book she published under the Kinsella name was The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic in 2000.
It introduced readers to Becky Bloomwood, a financial journalist who is a serial shopper and hopeless when it comes to her own finances.
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That book and its sequel, Shopaholic Abroad, would go on to inspire Disney+’s 2009 rom-com Confessions of a Shopaholic, starring Isla Fisher and Hugh Dancy.
Her 2003 book Can You Keep A Secret? was also adapted into a 2019 indie romantic comedy of the same name, starring Alexandra Daddario and Tyler Hoechlin.
After these successes, she went on to write eight more Shopaholic novels and a short story, and another eighteen books in total, including one young adult novel and four children's books.
Her other popular works include The Undomestic Goddess (2005), Twenties Girl (2009), I’ve Got Your Number (2012), Finding Audrey (2015), and Fairy Mom and Me (2018).
In 2024, Sophie published her final book, What Does It Feel Like?, a deeply personal novella inspired by her cancer journey.
