The beloved late presenter penned a note to family, friends and supporters calling on them to ‘celebrate’ her life following news of her death from cancer at age 86
Dame Esther Rantzen recalled her “long and happy life” in a heartbreaking final letter penned before her death.
The broadcaster and campaigner, who has died aged 86, thanked friends and loved ones “for all the fun” she had during her long life.
Dame Esther was known for helming the BBC TV programme, That’s Life, and was instrumental in setting up children’s abuse and neglect helpline Childline. Towards the end of her life, she was a pivotal campaigner for the legislation of assisted dying.
Described by family as the “most wonderful mother” and “cherished grandmother,” Dame Esther used her last note to call on supporters to “celebrate what he had together” and donate to causes close to her heart.
She wrote: “Dear Everybody, I am so sorry I cannot send you each individual thanks for the fun, the support and the help you have been to me. I have been immensely lucky in the friendship and the professional advice I have had from you which has enabled me to live such a long and happy life.
“If any of you would like to donate something to charity in my name as a celebration of what we have had together, I do know that the Dignitas charity in Switzerland is facing serious challenges and would be very grateful.
“And the Oakhaven Hospice in Lymington has also been wonderful to me. And Cathy would like me to pay tribute to Cats Protection of course. Sadly, all good things come to an end, as they say. 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. With very good wishes, as ever, Esther.”
Dame Esther hosted hat’s Life! for 21 years from 1973 to 1994, which led to her setting up Childline in 1986, to provide counselling services for young people.
She later launched The Silver Line in 2012, which aims to tackle loneliness in older people. In later life Dame Esther became a strong proponent for assisted dying, after she was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer in 2023.
She openly discussed her plan to “buzz off to Zurich” to have an assisted death at Dignitas and criticised the “messy and cruel” law in England and Wales which would criminalise loved ones who tried to help.
But in September 2026, ahead of a vote by MPs which would see efforts to legalise assisted dying defeated in Parliament, Dame Esther shared that it was now too late for her to travel, as she had become “too physically fragile to make the journey”.
She told of her anguish at loved ones seeing her “suffering pain or indignity” while she received end-of-life care and expressed sadness when the assisted dying Bill fell – branding it a “tragic day”.
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