In October 2016, Bracknell revealed that she was suffering from terminal lung cancer. A fundraising appeal to pay for treatment in Germany hit its target of £50,000 within three days. Bracknell has spoken publicly about how she has sought alternative therapies to treat her terminal condition. In the blog post, titled Cannabis and Me: Breaking the Law, she reveals she is making cannabis oil at home to slow the progress of the cancer, saying it is 'as easy as baking a cake'. As of October 2018, she already lived 14 months longer than doctors expected her to. In August 2019, Bracknell said she was in an immunotherapy clinical trial. She died in September 2019 at the age of 55, which was announced on 16 October.