Sophie Kinsella was the pen name of English novelist Madeleine Sophie Wickham, author of the Shopaholic series. She died on 10 December 2025, aged 55, after being diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer, in late 2022. Her books sold more than 50 million copies in more than 60 countries, according to the BBC.
Sophie Kinsella's real name was Madeleine Sophie Wickham. As readers mark the first year since her death, here is what the news reports said, and the story of the name millions of readers knew her by.
What happened
On 10 December 2025, Kinsella's family announced that she had died, aged 55. BBC News reported that the writer, "whose real name is Madeleine Sophie Wickham," had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer in 2022. Her official website posted a notice the same day, saying that Madeleine Wickham, "best known to millions of readers and fans as Sophie Kinsella," had died "after a courageous battle with brain cancer" (sophiekinsella.co.uk).
According to CBS News and the Associated Press, she was diagnosed with glioblastoma in late 2022 and made the diagnosis public in April 2024. She said at the time that she had waited so her children could adjust, and that she had been treated with surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
In its statement, quoted by the BBC, her family said she "died peacefully, with her final days filled with her true loves: family and music and warmth and Christmas and joy." Fellow writers paid tribute; the BBC's headline described her as a "wonderful, warm woman."
Where the name Sophie Kinsella came from
The pen name was built from her own family. "Sophie" was her middle name, and "Kinsella" was her mother Patricia's maiden name (Wikipedia).
She didn't start out as Kinsella. Her first novel, The Tennis Party (1995), came out under her married name, Madeleine Wickham. She wrote it at 24, and it was published when she was 26. More novels followed under that name before she adopted the new name for the book that made her famous, The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic (published in the US as Confessions of a Shopaholic).
Why a second name? Authors often switch names when they change genre or want a fresh start with readers and booksellers. The Kinsella books were lighter, comic and aimed at a wider audience than her earlier work, and the new name gave them their own identity. (For more on why writers do this, see our History post on the history of pen names.)
A life before Shopaholic
Before fiction, Wickham studied at New College, Oxford, starting in Music before switching to Philosophy, Politics and Economics. She then worked as a financial journalist, including at Pensions World (Wikipedia). That money-world background is a neat match for Becky Bloomwood, the heroine who writes about personal finance while drowning in credit-card debt.
Her first two Shopaholic books were adapted into the 2009 film Confessions of a Shopaholic. By the time of her death, her books had sold more than 50 million copies in more than 60 countries and had been translated into more than 40 languages, according to the BBC.
Why the real name matters
For years, many readers didn't know that Sophie Kinsella and Madeleine Wickham were the same person. Her own website now uses both names together: "Madeleine Wickham, best known to millions of readers and fans as Sophie Kinsella."
That's the kind of story realnameof.com exists for: a name that readers love, and the person behind it. Read the full Sophie Kinsella bio for more facts about her life and career.
FAQ
What was Sophie Kinsella's real name? Madeleine Sophie Wickham, born Madeleine Sophie Townley. Sophie Kinsella was her pen name.
When did Sophie Kinsella die? She died on 10 December 2025, aged 55, after being diagnosed with glioblastoma in late 2022 (BBC, AP).
Where did the name Kinsella come from? Kinsella was her mother's maiden name, and Sophie was her middle name.
Did Sophie Kinsella write under another name? Yes. Her early novels, starting with The Tennis Party (1995), were published as Madeleine Wickham.