Dame Esther Rantzen, the broadcaster and campaigner who founded Childline and The Silver Line, has died aged 86, her family has announced. She died at home in the New Forest, surrounded by her family, following a battle with lung cancer.
Her children described her as “the most wonderful mother” and a “cherished grandmother”, saying her “endless capacity for joy” would be remembered by all who knew her.
In a statement, they said: “Our adored mother, Dame Esther Rantzen, died today. Her legacy of compassion and understanding will live on in her charities Childline and the Silverline, and through those of us who were lucky enough to love and be loved by her.
“We are grateful she is finally at rest with her beloved husband, Desmond Wilcox, but we will miss her immeasurably. She was our sunshine.”
The family said Dame Esther had written a farewell message before her death, thanking friends and colleagues for “the fun, the support and the help” they had given her throughout her life.
In it, she suggested donations could be made to Dignitas in Switzerland or Oakhaven Hospice in Lymington, which she said had been “wonderful” to her. She also paid tribute to Cats Protection.
“Sadly, all good things come to an end, as they say,” she wrote. “So I particularly wanted to say goodbye and thank you so very, very much. Perhaps I will see you eventually, on the other side. I do hope so.”
Dame Esther Rantzen’s assisted dying campaign
Dame Esther became a prominent supporter of assisted dying in England and Wales after revealing that she had joined Dignitas and was considering travelling to the Swiss clinic to end her life.
Earlier this month, she said she had become too physically fragile to make the journey, despite having “spent the money and made the plans”. She criticised what she called the “messy and cruel” law, which could criminalise relatives who tried to help.
Her death came weeks after the second reading of the Assisted Dying Bill, which she had strongly supported, was narrowly defeated in the House of Commons. She described the outcome as “a tragic day”.
Dignity in Dying said Dame Esther had campaigned for children, older people and dying people, using her public profile to give a voice to those who were often unheard.
The charity said she was “a true force of nature” whose “compassion, tenacity and wit” would be greatly missed, adding that she had championed assisted dying “right up to her death”.
Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, who led the campaign for the legislation, said Dame Esther had been “a strong, warm and compassionate woman and a fighter to the end”.
A pioneering broadcaster and campaigner
Dame Esther was best known for presenting the BBC consumer affairs programme That’s Life!, which began in 1973 and ran until 1994. The programme combined investigations and consumer reports with satire, and at its height attracted around 15 million viewers.
One of its most memorable moments came in 1988, when she asked an audience whether anyone owed their life to Sir Nicholas Winton. Four rows of people stood up, revealing the scale of the stockbroker’s efforts to rescue children from Nazi-occupied Europe.
Her campaigning journalism also helped draw attention to safer playground surfaces, the requirement for children to wear seat belts in the back of cars and organ transplants for children.
Childline grew from a 1986 programme called Childwatch. The charity later merged with the NSPCC and continues to provide support for children and young people in danger or distress.
In 2013, Dame Esther established The Silver Line to help older people facing loneliness and isolation. The charity became part of Age UK in 2019.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said Dame Esther had “changed countless lives and gave a voice to people who often went unheard”. He praised the “courage and openness” with which she spoke about her illness and end-of-life questions.
Former home secretary Dame Priti Patel described her as “a remarkable journalist and campaigner”, while Age UK chief executive Paul Farmer called her “a true inspiration”.
Her former That’s Life! co-presenter Bill Buckley said she was a “really good journalist who could also understand showbiz and comedy”, adding that once she took up a campaign, “nothing would stop her”.
Anton Du Beke, who partnered Dame Esther on Strictly Come Dancing in 2004, said she had been a valued mentor and “a forerunner for women on television”.
Dame Esther was born Esther Louise Rantzen in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, in June 1940. She studied English at Oxford before joining the BBC, first working in radio sound effects and later as a television researcher.
She married producer Desmond Wilcox in 1977. The couple had three children, and remained devoted to one another until his death.
Her family said: “We hope the humour, ingenuity and audacity she brought to her work may continue to inspire you as it will do us. We kindly ask that we are given privacy and time to grieve.”
