Dame Esther Rantzen – who has died today – was pictured smiling alongside her daughter Rebecca to celebrate her birthday
Dame Esther Rantzen smiled alongside her daughter in her final photo before her death today.
The Childline founder and That’s Life presenter celebrated her 85th birthday alongside her family including daughter Rebecca. In the sweet pictures, both of them are smiling at the camera in sunglasses, with Esther in a butter yellow dress and blaze.
In the photos, Rebecca held a giant meringue adorned with fruit as the family came together for the celebrations, with Esther looking thrilled to be surrounded by her loved ones.
The journalist and broadcaster, died today, her children Miriam, Rebecca and Joshua Wilcox confirmed in a joint statement. It read: “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.
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“We are grateful she is finally at rest with her beloved husband, Desmond Wilcox, but we will miss her immeasurably. She was our sunshine. We will always remember her endless capacity for joy, her ability to comfort every heartache, her beautiful way with words and her expert guidance in all things.
“She was the most wonderful mother to us three children and a cherished grandmother to her five treasured grandchildren. We have been so lucky for so long, no matter how much time we had with Mum it could be never be enough, but we are so grateful for our lives together.”
They added: “Mum’s work with charities and campaigning, particularly for children, older people, and the terminally ill, meant the world to her so thank you to everyone who has written to her, shared their stories with her over the years and worked alongside her.
“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.”
Before her death, Esther revealed that she had joined assisted dying clinic Dignitas in Switzerland after being told her cancer had spread. She said that she was undergoing a “miracle” treatment but openly discussed her plan to “buzz off to Zurich” where assisted dying is legal if it didn’t work.
She criticised the “messy and cruel” law in England and Wales which would criminalise loved ones who tried to help.
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