Remembering Esther Rantzen
Broadcaster and ChildLine Founder Dame Esther Rantzen Has Died at Age 86
Anonymous
Dame Esther Rantzen, the award-winning broadcaster and campaigner, has died aged 86, her family announced, remembering her as a joyful and much-loved mother and grandmother. She became a household name as presenter of the BBC’s That’s Life!, which she hosted for 21 years. She founded ChildLine in 1986 after a programme about child abuse prompted a huge response from children seeking help, and later established The Silver Line to support older people facing loneliness. Diagnosed with stage four lung cancer in 2023, she became a prominent advocate for legalising assisted dying in England and Wales. She had planned to travel to Dignitas in Switzerland but said in September 2026 that she was too physically frail to make the journey.
Key Points
1
When Childline launched in 1986, it received 50,000 calls immediately. Its free, 24-hour helpline used the number 0800 1111 because it was easy for even very young children to remember.
2
Rantzen began her BBC career as a radio studio manager in 1963, moved into television as a researcher and became a presenter in 1968. That’s Life! drew more than 20 million viewers at its peak.
3
Beyond That’s Life!, Rantzen appeared on Strictly Come Dancing, I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! and Question Time, including as an independent candidate for Luton South. She received seven honorary doctorates and was patron of 19 charities.
4
The Assisted Dying Bill she campaigned for would allow terminally ill people in England and Wales with fewer than six months to live to seek an assisted death, subject to approval by doctors and legal professionals.
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