Dame Esther Rantzen, That's Life! presenter and Childline founder, dies aged 86

Dame Esther Rantzen, the veteran British broadcaster best known for presenting the BBC’s That’s Life! for 21 years, has died aged 86, her family confirmed on Wednesday.

In a statement, her family said: “Our adored mother Dame Esther Rantzen died today.” They described her as the “most wonderful mother” and a “cherished grandmother” who will be remembered for her “endless capacity for joy”.

Rantzen presented That’s Life! from 1973 to 1994, a run that made her one of the most recognisable faces on British television. The programme, which mixed consumer investigations, topical issues and entertainment, regularly drew audiences of up to 20 million, according to The Sun.

Beyond broadcasting, she founded the children’s charity Childline in 1986, which later became part of the NSPCC in 2006, and The Silver Line in 2013, a helpline for older people facing loneliness. She was made a DBE by Queen Elizabeth II in 2015 for services to children and older people.

Rantzen announced in January 2023 that she had been diagnosed with lung cancer, confirming in May that it had reached stage IV. In December 2023 she announced she had joined the Dignitas assisted-dying clinic in Switzerland, and she campaigned publicly for assisted-dying law reform in the UK.

She is survived by her three children. Her family asked for privacy and time to grieve.