A WOMAN who brought the date of her wedding forward after being diagnosed with terminal cancer has tied the knot.

Debbie Kimber, 42, married Steve Cuthbert in an emotional ceremony after friends and family rallied around to provide everything for them.

The couple, of Whickham, Gateshead, were forced to bring the date of the big day forward after Mrs Cuthbert was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer in June.

She said: “It is so good to squeeze as much in as we can.

“We have got to make the most of every single moment we have left together because we don’t know how long we have got.”

Clutching the arms of sons Michael, 21, and Aarron, 17, who gave her away, Mrs Cuthbert was determined not to let her illness spoil her big day.

She said: “My hair started to come out over the past couple of days, but thankfully it stayed in place.

“I could not have asked for a better day. I have just put everything to one side and I am here with everyone and it’s fantastic.”

Mr Cuthbert, 41, added: “I can’t begin to describe how brave she is.

“She is loved by everybody who knows her. She is my inspiration every day, but she doesn’t realise that herself and she needs to be told it.

“This was our one big effort and then the fighting starts. After the wedding we start the battle.”

Days earlier, the wedding hung in the balance as Mrs Cuthbert struggled with her first round of chemotherapy.

She was released from hospital on Sunday, September 16, and rested at home while friends made plans for the wedding at Gateshead Register Office.

Mrs Cuthbert said: “We were thinking about this for weeks. I was nervous and excited and sad, everything.

“All our friends offered their services, from the cars to the disco. Even people who read about us in the papers, who we don’t even know, have helped us out.

“It has been a rough couple of weeks, but we are here and I feel on top of the world.”