Evening Standard
· collected 2026-10-08 · by Y. Ellie Ng
Guests gathered in London to celebrate Childline's 40th anniversary, a week after the death of its founder, Dame Esther Rantzen. Rebecca Wilcox, Rantzen's daughter, noted at the event that her mother loved Childline more than her own children, emphasizing the charity’s profound impact. Spice Girl Geri Halliwell-Horner, also present as an ambassador for Childline, praised Rantzan's tireless efforts in founding the helpline to support abused and troubled children.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-08,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Rebecca Wilcox, daughter of late broadcaster Esther Rantzen, recently shared at an event marking Childline’s 40th anniversary in London that Childline was her mother's favorite project. The charity, founded by Rantzan in 1986 after she received numerous calls from children suffering sexual abuse, has since provided over six million counseling sessions. At the event, NSPCC chief executive Chris Sherwood described Rantzen as a “unique, inspiring and truly remarkable woman” who dedicated much of her life to ensuring support for troubled youth. In 2025/26, mental and emotional health concerns became the leading reason young people contacted Childline, surpassing sexual abuse which was once the top issue at 27% of calls in 1986. Geri Halliwell-Horner, a Childline ambassador, emphasized Rantzen's tireless efforts to establish the helpline and stressed the importance of continuing its work.
Written for “Esther Rantzen Childline Legacy” on 2026-10-08,
grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
This article does not take a side on a contested political
question, so it has no leaning score. That is an
answer rather than a gap: a match report or a rescue can be warmly
or critically written without being left or right, and scoring it
anyway is how approval of a subject gets recorded as a political
position.
No political leaning scored for article 65115 · logged 2026-10-08
Childline was Dame Esther Rantzen’s favourite child, the broadcaster’s daughter has said as guests gathered to mark the charity’s 40th anniversary.
asserted
guests → say → anniversary
An event celebrating the organisation’s four decades took place in London on Wednesday, a week after the campaigner’s death aged 86 after a cancer diagnosis.
asserted
event → celebrate → diagnosis
Rebecca Wilcox, Dame Esther’s daughter, said she realised her mother loved Childline more than her and her siblings “from day one”.
asserted
mother → say → day
“Childline was the favoured sibling,” she said.
asserted
she → say → ?
“We always knew that, and now I know why.
asserted
I → know → that
“Childline has supernatural powers and it’s because you go there and you think you know what it is, you suddenly see what it is and it’s like a love spell.”
asserted
it → have → spell
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She added: “I knew there was a reason mum made me get on the train today and it was to see you all because I need to be reminded that there’s good in the world and this room is flipping full of it.”
asserted
room → read → it
Ms Wilcox said children were her mother’s “favourite people”.
asserted
children → say → ?
Spice Girl Geri Halliwell-Horner, a Childline ambassador, who attended the event, said Dame Esther had “worked tirelessly to found Childline 40 years ago” and “would want us to honour her work” by ensuring it carries on.
asserted
it → attend → work
Dame Esther, who spent 21 years fronting BBC consumer affairs show That’s Life!, founded Childline – to provide counselling for young people – after a temporary helpline for viewers affected by a programme about a toddler who had starved to death was swamped with callers.
asserted
who → spend → callers
The calls mainly came from children suffering sexual abuse they had never been able to disclose to anyone else, giving Dame Esther the idea for a specific helpline for children, open 24/7 throughout the year.
Halliwell-Horner said: “Of course, there’s no way to discuss the incredible work of Childline without mentioning the inspirational Dame Esther Rantzen, who worked tirelessly to found Childline 40 years ago.
“I first met Esther following the death of my dear friend George Michael in 2016.
asserted
I → suffer → 2016
After George died, it was Esther who told me how much he had donated to the charity over the years and it blew me away.
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it → die → me
“I wanted to continue George’s legacy and, after an encouraging conversation with Esther, approached the charity and soon became a Childline ambassador.
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I → want → charity
I’m proud to have had the opportunity to work with volunteers and colleagues who help hundreds of thousands of children in need each year.
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who → ’m → need
“I’ve been very fortunate to be friends with Esther for a decade, and I know how proud she was of Childline.
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she → know → Childline
I think it is so important that we work to continue her legacy.
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we → think → legacy
“Children and young people need us more than ever and I know Esther would want us to honour her work and continue the vital, important work that Childline does.”
asserted
Childline → need → that
NSPCC chief executive Chris Sherwood described Dame Esther as a “unique, inspiring and truly remarkable woman” who had “dedicated so much of her time and energy to ensuring there was always somewhere to turn and someone to talk to for children in need of help”.
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who → describe → help
He said Wednesday’s event was an opportunity for people to come together “to pay their own tribute to Esther, look back over the last 40 years and look forward to the next decade and beyond for the service”.
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people → say → service
Childline, now part of the NSPCC children’s charity, has delivered more than six million counselling sessions.
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Childline → deliver → sessions
In 1986, the top concern that Childline counselled children about was sexual abuse (27% of calls and letters), but the biggest reason young people contact now – including through its online chat service – is mental and emotional health (33% of counselling sessions in 2025/26).
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people → counsel → 2025/26
The charity also noted that artificial intelligence, social media and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic had all been mentioned in contacts in recent years.
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intelligence → note → years
Wednesday’s event took place ahead of Childline’s official 40th anniversary on October 30.
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event → take → October
The Aporia
