Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in a statement: “If ever an honour was richly deserved, this is it. Deborah has been an inspiration and her honesty, warmth and courage has been a source of strength to so many people.
“Through her tireless campaigning and by so openly sharing her experience she has not only helped in our fight against this terrible disease, she has ensured countless others with the Big C have not felt alone.”
The Queen’s honours are usually announced as part of the New Year Honours or the Queen’s Birthday Honours, but they are occasionally given at other times in exceptional circumstances, including when Captain Sir Tom Moore received his knighthood.
Deborah began co-presenting You, Me and the Big C alongside Lauren Mahon and BBC Radio 5 Live newsreader Rachael Bland in 2018, with the show earning praise for its frank discussion of cancer.
Rachael died at the age of 40, six months after the show launched. She had been diagnosed with breast cancer two years earlier.