Dame Esther Rantzen talks ‘assisted dying bill’

People who have been given a terminal diagnosis can be helped to die is the planned outcome…

Dame Esther Rantzen welcomed the assisted dying bill and shared a personal health update in emotional Loose Women conversation on ITV1/STV earlier today.

Telly presenter Dame Esther Rantzen has spoken publicly about her reaction to the Assisted Dying Bill being passed by MPs, as well as sharing a deeply personal update on her cancer treatment during an exclusive interview on Loose Women.

Speaking in a phone call on Monday’s edition of the ITV daytime show, Dame Esther, 85, spoke with Ruth Langsford, Coleen Nolan, Mariella Frostrup and Brenda Edwards following her milestone birthday celebration over the weekend.

Reflecting on the occasion, Dame Esther said: “It was lovely actually because I had my grandchildren with me, and a few additional children, and we had lunch in the garden. It was a very nice day… I could just drift away quietly and have a little rest when that was necessary.”

Esther Rantzen on ‘That’s Esther for ITV / LWT

Opening up about the toll of her illness, she added: “One of the things about cancer, which I think people don’t realise — I didn’t realise — it can create fatigue which means you can’t do the things you would like to do. Like, for example, join Loose Women. I mean, I like being Loose!”

Dame Esther, who was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2023, spoke candidly about preparing for the worst when she first received the news. “When I was diagnosed, my friends who had lung cancer ‘fell off their perches’ within weeks. So I thought I had a very, very short time. That’s why I quickly signed up to Dignitas, so I could choose an assisted death if things got really rough.”

However, thanks to advances in targeted cancer treatments, she revealed that she has lived longer than expected. “I had one of those drugs which lasted quite some time. It’s not working now, but it did for some time, so I’ve had this additional couple of years, which I certainly didn’t expect. Who knew I’d be 85, heavens.”

Turning to the recent passage of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, Dame Esther said she felt “enormous relief” at the news, referencing the long-standing support she and her late husband, documentary-maker Desmond Wilcox, had for the right to choose. “It’s not a question of shortening your life,” she said. “It’s a question of shortening your death.”

While she clarified that she has not yet been given a terminal prognosis that would qualify her under the new law, she raised concerns about current limitations. “That’s the difficulty about going to Zurich — people have to go at a time when they can physically make that flight, so they have to go earlier than necessary.”

Esther Rantzen on ‘That’s Esther for ITV / LWT

On the wider debate, she acknowledged opposition but made a strong case for patient autonomy: “It’s my death. Please give me the choice of deciding when life becomes unenjoyable, too painful, too undignified. I want a pain-free death, I want a swift, pain-free death — and that’s what they can give me now. If it’s my choice, please give me the right to that choice.”

Dame Esther also praised her daughter, broadcaster Rebecca Wilcox, for her unwavering support. “She’s been amazing. She’s taken on my role as President at Childline — she’s meeting the volunteer counsellors, listening to children, she’s trained as a volunteer herself. This is not easy for her, because she’s got to talk about my death all the time, and I’ve got to talk about my death all the time.”

Concluding her conversation Dame Esther expressed gratitude for the shift in political attitudes. “You say it was a narrow margin, but last time it was debated in Parliament there was a vast majority against it. It is wonderful that we’ve now got enough evidence from around the world to understand what would work best in this country — and that’s what we’ve achieved.”

The full interview is available to watch at itv.com/watch/loose-women. Loose Women airs weekdays from 12.30pm on ITV1 and STV.