Glasgow mum-of-two, 36, dies nine months after post-Christmas headache turned out to be aggressive brain tumour

From the Newshound archive · first published 23 September 2026.

Kim Borthwick, a 36-year-old Glasgow mother of twin boys, has died following a nine-month fight against glioblastoma, one of the most aggressive forms of brain cancer. A Tuesday night announcement from her family said she had 'slipped away peacefully, surrounded by her loving family', and that she was 'her brave, fighting self right to the very end'. Kim had been with husband Ross and four-year-old twins Max and Freddie over Christmas before an 'unbearable' headache led to a diagnosis delivered just one week after her symptoms first appeared.

Kim had initially assumed she had overdone the festive period, but she soon lost feeling down one side of her body and began vomiting.

After her diagnosis in January, Kim became an advocate for improved research and treatment of terminal and rare cancers, touching the lives of millions.

Sarra Hoy, wife of cancer-stricken Olympic champion Sir Chris Hoy, paid tribute: 'Kim had such a fierce love for her family and of life.'