Broadcaster and Childline Founder Dame Esther Rantzen Has Died Aged 86
The broadcaster founded Childline and The Silver Line and became a leading voice for assisted dying after a 2023 terminal lung cancer diagnosis.
- Broadcaster and Childline founder Dame Esther Rantzen has died aged 86 following a lung cancer diagnosis. Known for hosting a BBC consumer affairs show for 21 years, she was a prominent campaigner for children and older people.
- Alongside her television work, Dame Esther founded Childline in 1986 and The Silver Line in 2013 to support vulnerable children and elderly people. Queen Elizabeth made her a DBE in 2015 for her extensive charity services.
- In a statement, her family paid tribute to the "most wonderful mother" and "cherished grandmother" who will be remembered for her "endless capacity for joy." She is survived by three children: Rebecca, Miriam, and Joshua Wilcox, and five grandchildren.
- During her lung cancer diagnosis, Dame Esther became a prominent voice for assisted dying, joining Dignitas in December 2023. She stated: "I think it's important that the law catches up with what the country wants."
- In September 2026, ahead of a Parliament vote on assisted dying, Dame Esther became too physically fragile to travel. She branded the Bill's defeat a "tragic day," expressing anguish at loved ones witnessing her suffering during end-of-life care.
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Dame Esther Rantzen, a television personality, activist, and charity supporter, passed away at the age of 86.
Tilt Magazine Dame Esther Rantzen, a television personality, activist, and charity supporter, passed away at the age of 86. Dame Esther Rantzen has died at the age of 86. Dame Esther Rantzen, a veteran broadcaster, journalist, campaigner, and person who started a charity, will be missed since she passed away at 86. It said that Rantzen’s family will announce her death in a news statement. They stated that her work…
The journalist, who died at the age of 86, "changed countless lives and gave voice to people who were often not heard," said Prime Minister Andy Burnham.
The world of British television mourns the death of Esther Rantzen. Known as a presenter and journalist, one of BBC's iconic figures, she died on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, at the age of 86.
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