Dame Esther Rantzen's final note, written before her death, has been shared as the broadcasting legend was laid to rest. The 86-year-old's family confirmed that her small and private funeral was held last week, following her death at her home in the New Forest on September 30.
Dame Esther, who was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer in 2023, left a 'goodbye and thank you' note for those who campaigned on the assisted dying issue. In the note, she called on campaigners to 'battle on', vowing to 'do everything I can from here to help you'.
Funeral and tributes
Her daughter Rebecca Wilcox described the funeral as 'incredibly beautiful'. Rebecca told the Press Association that the family had been inundated with sympathy messages, saying: "It's been hugely comforting to know that people around the world felt the same way about her as we did."
A larger memorial service for the Childline founder is expected to take place at a later date, with details yet to be announced.
The farewell note
In her note, Dame Esther addressed the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, which was introduced in Parliament in 2024 but failed to become law. She expressed regret that it did not come into force in time for her, saying: "Now I am dead I am sorry that there is not much more I can do to speed it on its way for the sake of other future generations."
The former That's Life! presenter wrote: "It would have transformed the way I died if the law had allowed me to ask for assistance to die when my life had become unbearable. Not because I would have used that choice."
She added: "But because the last days and weeks would have been infused with the hope and confidence of a swift, pain-free death and my family would not have had to witness any suffering or lack of dignity and privacy at the end."
Assisted dying campaign
Dame Esther noted that she became 'too physically frail to take the flight' to an assisted dying clinic in Switzerland, but thanked the Dignitas team for 'everything they did to try and help me'. She said: "I was extremely lucky because I had the talent, skill and support of my local Oakhaven Hospice. But I was still deprived of any choice over my own death by the current messy criminal law."
In her note, she addressed both supporters and opponents of the reform: "So goodbye and thank you to everyone who has taken an interest in this crucial life and death issue."
She continued: "To those who have opposed it and blocked the new Bill, rest assured I will not come back to haunt you, I have better things to do and anyway I believe you too have the right to choose, but not the right to impose your choice on the most vulnerable people such as dying frail little old ladies like me."
She concluded: "To those who will battle on and continue to support the reform and especially patients and their loved ones who urgently need it, I will do everything I can from here to help you. After all, nobody wants to shorten life, just to shorten death."
For anyone looking to pay their respects, Dame Esther's family have asked for donations in lieu of flowers to charities Oakhaven Hospice, Childline, The Silver Line and Cats Protection in her name.
