Dame Esther Rantzen felt deprived of choice over death

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 20 Oct, 06:32 · Archive

Dame Esther Rantzen said in a posthumous note that she felt deprived of choice over her own death.

Dame Esther Rantzen, the broadcaster and Childline founder, died on 30 September at her home in Bramshaw in the New Forest, Hampshire, aged 86. She had been diagnosed with stage four lung cancer in 2023. Her family held a private funeral and announced plans for a larger memorial service at a later date.

In a posthumous note released by her family, Dame Esther said that the current law had left her 'deprived of any choice over my own death'. She wrote: 'It would have transformed the way I died if the law had allowed me to ask for assistance to die when my life had become unbearable.' She acknowledged the 'talent, skill and support' of Oakhaven Hospice but said this did not give her the choice she sought. She also noted that she had become 'too physically frail to take the flight' to an assisted dying clinic in Switzerland.

Dame Esther had become a prominent campaigner for assisted dying in her later years. MPs voted against legalising assisted dying in September. Her daughter Rebecca Wilcox said the family had been 'hugely comforted' by messages from people around the world since her death.

How it is being reported

• Rantzen felt 'deprived of choice' over her own deathA note written by Dame Esther Rantzen is released by her family following a private funeral.BBC Hampshire · 20 Oct, 06:01
• Broadcaster Esther Rantzen felt 'deprived of choice' over death at New Forest homeBeloved broadcaster Dame Esther Rantzen, who lived in the New Forest, has said she felt "deprived of choice" in a posthumous note released by her family.Southern Daily Echo · 20 Oct, 03:30

In this story: Dame Esther Rantzen · Childline · New Forest · Oakhaven Hospice · Bramshaw · Rebecca Wilcox · Hampshire · Switzerland

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem