DAME ESTHER RANTZEN'S FAMILY SHARES ASSISTED DYING MESSAGE

Dame Esther Rantzen’s family has shared a message she wrote before her death in which she said the law left her “deprived of any choice over my own death”. Her relatives released the message after holding a private funeral. Rantzen died at her home in the New Forest on 30 September, following a diagnosis of stage four lung cancer in 2023. She founded Childline and presented That’s Life! Her daughter, Rebecca Wilcox, described the funeral as “incredibly beautiful”.

Rantzen credited Oakhaven Hospice with providing care and support. She wrote that access to assisted dying would have changed her final weeks by giving her hope of a “swift, pain-free death” if her life became unbearable. She did not say she would have used that option. Rantzen said its availability would have meant her family did not have to witness suffering or a loss of dignity and privacy at the end of her life. She also wrote that witnessing someone’s final moments of suffering could overshadow memories of happier times together.

MPs rejected an assisted dying bill in September. At the time, Rantzen said she believed the law would change, but feared it would come too late for some people who needed it. In her final message, she thanked those who had supported the proposed reform and urged them to “battle on”. Wilcox said messages of sympathy from around the world had comforted the family. The family plans to announce details of a broader memorial gathering in due course.