Story summary
Dame Esther Rantzen, a prominent British broadcaster known for her work on That's Life! and founding Childline, died at age 86 after battling stage four lung cancer. Her family paid tribute to her as "the most wonderful mother" and a "cherished grandmother," praising her "endless capacity for joy." Rantzen became famous in the 1970s with That's Life!, a show she helped devise that tackled consumer issues and later expanded into investigating life-and-death matters. In 1986, she founded Childline, a helpline providing counseling services to children in distress, which has since helped millions of young people across Britain. More recently, Rantzen became an advocate for assisted dying after her cancer diagnosis, criticizing the current laws that criminalize helping terminally ill individuals with no cure. She died surrounded by family at her home in the New Forest on Wednesday. Tributes from celebrities and public figures highlighted her significant contributions to journalism and social causes, including Dame Elaine Paige and Lorraine Kelly, who praised Rantzen's work for children through Childline and later initiatives like The Silver Line aimed at reducing loneliness among older people. Despite her advocacy efforts, the proposed laws allowing assisted dying in England and Wales did not pass, with Rantzen describing it as a "tragic day." Her legacy is remembered as one of compassion and understanding, inspiring many to continue her mission of helping those in need.
Written for “Dame Esther Rantzen Dies Aged 86” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 15 other(s) covering the same event.
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Dame Esther Rantzen was "an inspirational individual" who was "quite a force" as a campaigner, according to the director of Childline, the children's helpline founded by the broadcaster in the 1980s.
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who → publish → 1980s
"She inspired people, she energised people, she persuaded people," Shaun Friel told BBC Breakfast.
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Friel → inspire → Breakfast
"She had a great mind and she had obviously that natural journalistic ability."
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she → have → ability
Dame Esther, who died on Wednesday at the age of 86, was known for presenting BBC consumer show That's Life! for 21 years, and for campaigning on issues including child welfare and assisted dying.
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That → die → welfare
Prime Minister Andy Burnham led the tributes, saying the veteran broadcaster had "changed countless lives".
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broadcaster → lead → lives
BBC director general Matt Brittin also paid tribute to Dame Esther, describing her as a "legend of British broadcasting" whose contribution to public life was "immeasurable".
"Her warmth, spirit and fight for justice and action that we saw on our screens continued long after the programme ended, with a lifetime of campaigning where she changed the lives of millions," he said.
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he → pay → millions
Fellow broadcaster and money saving expert Martin Lewis called Dame Esther an "inspiration" and a "pioneer" whose "impact and memory will long continue to shine".
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impact → call → Esther
Chris Sherwood, chief executive of the NSPCC, which runs Childline, said Dame Esther had gone to "exceptional lengths to ensure children and young people across the UK had somewhere to turn when they were in need of help".
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they → run → help
Dame Esther set up the telephone helpline in 1986 after featuring a number of incidents of child abuse and neglect on That's Life! and realising that many children had nowhere to turn.
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children → set → nowhere
Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Friel said: "The legacy that Dame Esther created when she created Childline is something quite incredible.
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she → speak → Childline
She changed how society looked upon children."
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society → change → children
He added: "When she decided she had a vision or something had to be done or had to be changed, she was quite a force."
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she → add → vision
Childline merged with the NSPCC in 2006.
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Childline → merge → 2006
In 2013, Dame Esther founded The Silver Line to help older people suffering from isolation and loneliness.
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Esther → found → isolation
She also led campaigns on safety.
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She → lead → safety
In 2023, she revealed she had joined Dignitas, the Swiss assisted dying clinic, but last month said she was now "too physically fragile to make the journey".
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she → reveal → journey
Burnham said he would "always admire the characteristic courage and openness with which she spoke about her illness, making us all think about the difficult questions we face at the end of life".
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we → say → life
Kim Leadbeater, the Labour MP who sponsored the assisted dying bill, told the BBC that Dame Esther was a "wonderful mix of strength and feistiness, but also really deep compassion and kindness" - and that she would continue to inspire campaigners.
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she → sponsor → campaigners
'Zest for life'
Baroness Jan Royall, former leader of the House of Lords and a friend of Dame Esther, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Thursday that she was a "formidable" person.
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she → tell → Thursday
She was an extraordinary, compassionate woman, a passionate woman, and she brought about such change in our world, change for the better."
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she → bring → better
Baroness Royall added that Dame Esther had "a wicked sense of humour" and a "zest for life", which was the thing that "drove her to try and improve people's lives through Silver Line, Childline etc, but also with the assisted dying bill."
Dame Esther's That's Life! co-presenter Bill Buckley told the BBC's Radio 4 Front Row programme that "nothing would stop her" when it came to campaigning.
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it → add → campaigning
"She saw the light at the end of the tunnel and followed it doggedly," he said.
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he → see → it
Dame Elaine Paige, known for her roles in West End productions like Cats and Evita, paid tribute to a "great broadcaster, journalist and campaigner".
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Paige → know → broadcaster
She said: "Her Childline, the confidential counselling service for young people in distress, helped so many children and The Silver Line was aimed at older people suffering loneliness and isolation."
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Line → say → loneliness
Anton Du Beke, Dame Esther's partner on Strictly Come Dancing, shared a photo of the pair dancing together in the 2004 series, writing that the two had "remained firm friends" ever since.
He praised her "breadth of knowledge and passion" and called her "the ultimate breaker of the glass ceiling", adding: "She will be greatly missed and my sincere thoughts are with her family."
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thoughts → share → family
Davina McCall wrote on Instagram that Dame Esther had "made the world a better place, and inspired so many of us to do better and live life to its fullest."
The message accompanied a video of the former Big Brother host discussing how Dame Esther was an "inspiration to girls like me when we were growing up".
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Presenter Amol Rajan said Dame Esther "changed the course of millions of lives" as he paid tribute, calling her "an inspirational, strong woman ahead of her time".
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he → say → time
It will also be shown this Friday, 2 October, on BBC One at 19:30 BST.
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The Aporia
