The terminally ill broadcaster has tirelessly campaigned to legalise assisted dying since receiving a lung cancer diagnosis in 2023.
Dame Esther Rantzen’s dreams of choosing her own ending at Dignitas have been crushed by illness, according to her daughter.
The revered broadcaster and campaigner, aged 84 and battling lung cancer since 2023, has been an active voice in the campaign for legal assisted dying.
Tragically, her daughter Rebecca Wilcox shared that her mother can no longer travel to the Swiss facility due to deteriorating health, reports the Mirror.
Speaking with 5 News, Rebecca revealed: “Frankly Dignitas is out of the window for us. You have to be relatively healthy to do that.
“If she had gone, she would have gone months before she would have died here.”
This revelation arrives shortly after Labour’s Kim Leadbeater announced a postponement of the Assisted Dying Bill until 2029.
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Reacting to the delayed debate, Rebecca expressed her wishes, saying: “I just wish that people understood that all the assisted dying Bill is, is a choice for people that want it. All it is is giving you peace of mind, I cannot tell you how powerful that would be right now for my mum.”
Frustration is evident as she added, “She is a person who has fought her whole life for other people, and she has no control now. Why can’t we give people like my mum with a terminal diagnosis, with no other choice, some choice as to when and how and where they die!?”
In the UK, assisted dying still remains illegal with penalties of up to fourteen years imprisonment, attracting the support of high-profile figures such as Prue Leith from Bake Off and broadcaster Jonathan Dimbleby who are urging for legal reform.
Dame Esther Rantzen’s illustrious career began as a sound effects assistant on BBC radio, before she moved on to become a researcher for various shows. She became a household name in 1973 when she started presenting the consumer show That’s Life!
In addition to her television work, she also founded the charity Childline in 1986, which has since provided invaluable support to thousands of young people dealing with bullying and abuse.
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