Dame Esther Rantzen feared she would not live to see another Christmas after her health diagnosis. The beloved broadcaster and campaigner, who has died aged 86, spoke movingly about her terminal lung cancer in an emotional interview before her death. At the time, Esther admitted she had not expected to make it through to the festive season.
“I certainly didn't think I'd make my birthday in June, which I did, and I definitely didn't think I'd make this Christmas, which I am, it appears,” she said back in 2023. The words came during an interview with Amol Rajan and Nick Robinson for the BBC’s Today Podcast, where Esther opened up about living with cancer and her campaign for assisted dying.
A precious Christmas with family
When asked about one moment from her life she would like to relive, Esther chose a deeply personal one. “I think I would like to relive this Christmas,” she said. “The Christmas that I didn't expect to have with my family is going to be so precious, and I think that once it's over, I would like to be able to relive it.”
Her answer offered a glimpse of the woman behind the famous television career – and the importance she placed on her family during the final chapter of her life. The presenter had already made clear just how uncertain her future felt, telling the podcast she had not expected to reach her birthday, let alone Christmas.
Legacy of campaigning
And in the interview, Esther described the festive period as something she treasured precisely because she had once believed she would not experience it. Her comments now carry a poignant significance following news of her death.
During the conversation, Amol told Esther it was a “joy” and “privilege” to speak to her before thanking her for joining them. She was also praised as the “Queen of Television” and a “masterful campaigner” before the pair wished her a happy Christmas. Esther replied: “Thank you, and the same to you. A very Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and may good news surround you both.”
The broadcaster spent decades making her mark on British television, most famously as the presenter of That’s Life!, while her campaigning work left an equally enduring legacy. She founded Childline in 1986 after becoming increasingly concerned about vulnerable children, and later helped launch The Silver Line to support older people experiencing loneliness. But in her final years, Esther spoke openly about her own mortality and her belief that people facing terminal illness should have greater choice over how they die.
