Isla Fisher pays tribute as ‘Confessions of a Shopaholic’ author Sophie Kinsella dies at 55

Confessions of a Shopaholic author Sophie Kinsella, whose bestselling novels became a global phenomenon, has died at the age of 55 following a diagnosis of glioblastoma, her family confirmed.

Kinsella, born Madeleine Wickham, died at her home in Dorset on Wednesday. Her family shared the news in a statement on her Instagram page, writing that she passed “peacefully” and spent her final days surrounded by “family and music and warmth and Christmas and joy.”

Kinsella became a defining voice in commercial fiction with the release of her debut Shopaholic novel in 2000, which introduced readers to Rebecca Bloomwood, a witty and chaotic financial journalist with a love for retail therapy. Writing under a pseudonym to keep her personal and professional lives separate, she went on to publish nine Shopaholic books, selling tens of millions of copies worldwide. Her work was translated into dozens of languages and helped shape the era often labelled as “chick lit,” a term she later reframed as “romantic comedy.”

She once said her aim was simple: to make readers laugh. “People come up to me with a huge beam on their face,” she told The Boston Herald. “It’s like we share a common friend: my characters.”

The success of the series led to the 2009 film Confessions of a Shopaholic, starring Isla Fisher, who honoured the author with a heartfelt tribute.

Kinsella’s influence extended beyond the Shopaholic franchise. She published novels under her real name, including The Tennis Party and Sleeping Arrangements, and adapted her own experience with cancer into her final book, What Does It Feel Like?, released in 2024.

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