Dame Esther Rantzen, the broadcaster and campaigner renowned for her long-running BBC programme *That’s Life!* and for founding several charities, has died at the age of 86. She passed away at her home in the New Forest surrounded by her family, including her three children, Miriam, Rebecca, and Joshua Wilcox.
Rantzen first rose to prominence hosting *That’s Life!* from 1973 to 1994, a consumer affairs show that evolved into a wide-ranging magazine programme. Among its many memorable moments was a segment featuring Nicholas Winton, who had saved hundreds of children from Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia. This clip, in which Winton’s rescued “children” stood in the studio audience, has remained widely viewed in recent years.
Her television career was closely linked to her commitment to social causes. In 1986, after a temporary helpline received an overwhelming response following an edition about a child who died of starvation, she founded Childline, a 24-hour counselling service for children in distress. She continued her charitable work with the creation of The Silver Line in 2012, a helpline aimed at reducing loneliness among older individuals.
In 2023, after being diagnosed with stage four lung cancer, Rantzen became an outspoken advocate for assisted dying. She criticized the existing laws in England and Wales, describing them as "messy and cruel" for criminalizing relatives who might help terminally ill loved ones. Rantzen considered traveling to Switzerland to access assisted dying at the Dignitas clinic but said in late 2026 she had become too physically fragile to make the journey. Her campaign coincided with political debates, including a private member’s bill and a promised vote by the Labour Party, although legislation to legalize assisted dying was defeated in Parliament.
In a final message shared by her family, Rantzen expressed gratitude for her life and support for charities, including Dignitas, Oakhaven Hospice in Lymington, and Cats Protection. Her children described her as a “most wonderful mother” and “cherished grandmother” with an “endless capacity for joy,” noting her work meant a great deal to her and thanking those who collaborated with or supported her over the years.
Tributes poured in from political and charitable figures. The Prime Minister noted that Rantzen “changed countless lives and gave a voice to people who often went unheard.” Kim Leadbeater, a Labour MP involved in assisted dying legislation, said Rantzen “would have been the first person to say she had lived a full and vibrant life” but lamented that she did not have the choice she had sought at the end. Chris Sherwood, chief executive of the NSPCC, recognized her as a “unique and truly remarkable woman” who made a lasting impact on the welfare of children and young people across the UK.
Rantzen’s legacy continues through the charities she founded and the issues she championed, reflecting a life dedicated to compassion, advocacy, and social change.