Jess Hurrell’s Light Endured Long After Her Books Were Bound

2 September 2025

The British content creator, who was known for her interior design expertise, died after an eight-year battle with cancer, her loved ones revealed. @_jesshurrell/Instagram

Jess Hurrell was known for turning living spaces into expressions of warmth and wonder, curating environments where color, comfort, and creativity met. On September 1, her family announced through a poignant Instagram post that this beloved British influencer had passed away at 42 after a courageous eight-year battle with cancer.

Her online journey began with a career in journalism, writing for a national newspaper. When motherhood arrived, Hurrell made a decisive shift: she traded newsroom chaos for “Gold Is A Neutral,” the interior design blog where she would cultivate her signature aesthetic elevating everyday life with home makeovers, family moments, and easy-to-follow recipes.

Through blog posts and Instagram updates, her London-based feed became a calm refuge for over 94,000 followers. Fans found solace in her snapshots of home transformation, her candid reflections on motherhood, and her gentle humor. Even on the hardest days, she posted recipes or photos of candlelight amid chaos.

Few knew about the health battle Jess carried quietly. Nearly invisible to her audience was the immense struggle she endured. In private agonies, she maintained her grace publicly “skipped, smiled and powered through life,” her family recalled. It was a resolve that left friends and followers humbled.

Her passing hit hearts deeply. Responses poured in from her social media feed. Notes from fellow influencers and family friends spoke of her warmth and creativity. One comment summed it up: “Life and soul of every room she walked into”

The timing carried a bittersweet resonance. Her husband, David, posted an arresting tribute on what would have been their 14th wedding anniversary. Their love had begun long before then they met in school, dated for 11 years, then married in 2011 and shared 25 years of partnership marked by devotion and joy.

Jess is survived by David and her two beloved children, Rafferty and Nellie quiet testament to a life rooted in family as much as in design. Their presence in her posts always felt grounded, authentic, and real.

Her illness and the details recently shared by media outlets revealed that Jess had been transparent in her struggle. In February, she disclosed experiencing an advanced Stage 4 melanoma diagnosis. Her battle had included immunotherapy, radiotherapy for brain tumors, and a miraculous remission that had allowed her to celebrate her 40th birthday in Ibiza.

Her story is one of defiance against odds. It is also a reminder that those who brighten others’ worlds, even while struggling themselves, deserve space to be honored fully. Jess’s visual legacy remains in blogs, in homes inspired by her touches, and in the stories shared by those she lifted.

Jess Hurrell’s passing is a quiet lament and a rallying cry: for creativity, for kindness, and for the grace to continue, even when the road grows steep. In her absence we are left with the rooms she made luminous, and with the promise that even in hardship, light persists.