DAME Esther Rantzen has revealed her life as become “unbearable” amid her lengthy cancer battle and has slammed the UK’s “cruel” assisted dying laws.
The 86-year-old, who is now receiving end-of-life care, has opened up on being unable to travel to Dignitas.
Dame Esther Rantzen has revealed her life has become ‘unbearable’ amid her cancer battle Credit: Getty
Esther is best known for presenting and producing the hit BBC series That’s Life! Credit: News UK Ltd
Back in December 2023, she told how she’d joined an assisted dying clinic in Switzerland and when she was ready to end her life she was going to travel out there.
But, after becoming “too physically fragile to make the journey,” Esther is now stuck here “suffering in pain or indignity” as assisted suicide is illegal in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
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Esther said: “Why did I not buzz off to Zurich as I had planned when my life became unbearable?
“Unfortunately, when I was strong enough to make the flight and go to Dignitas, my life was not unbearably painful, indeed I was able to relax in my beloved cottage in the New Forest.”
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She continued: “Everything I didn’t want to happen I’m having to go through now, which means that the people I love and care about either cannot visit me, or when they do, see me suffering pain or indignity which will inevitably get between them and our shared happy memories, and may even overwhelm the way they think of me.”
On Friday, MPs will vote on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill and Esther has issued a plea, begging them to vote in its favour.
The Childline founder admitted: “Obviously, I would prefer that my end could be swift and painless and I could ask for help now I’m dying. But I can’t.
“I knew it would be like this if I died in this country because the current criminal law preventing anyone to help me shorten my death is messy and cruel.”
MPs will vote on the second reading of the historic bill and if it passes it will be sent through Parliament for detailed reviews and further votes before it can become a law.
The former BBC presenter has been a fierce advocate for assisted dying , insisting that she’s not “imposing” her choice on anyone else, but “believes they should have no right to impose their choice” on her.
The landmark bill is proposed to allow terminally ill adults request medical assistance to end their own lives but not before they hit the strict eligibility criteria, multi-stage approval process and criminal safeguards.
Esther revealed she had stage four lung cancer in May 2023, and later that year after being given a terminal prognosis she joined Dignitas.
In 2024, she began responding well to a new cancer drug but that was short-lived as she told how she was battling a second form of cancer last year.
Esther is best known for presenting and producing the hit BBC series That’s Life!
