Dame Esther Rantzen dies aged 86 as tributes paid to broadcaster and campaigner

Dame Esther Rantzen, the broadcaster and campaigner who became a household name on That's Life and founded Childline, has died at the age of 86.

Her family announced her death on the day. They said she died at home in the New Forest surrounded by them. In a statement, they called her "our adored mother" and said her legacy of compassion and understanding would live on in her charities and through those who loved her. They described her as the most wonderful mother to three children and a cherished grandmother to five grandchildren. They said she would be remembered for her endless capacity for joy, her ability to comfort every heartache, her beautiful way with words and her expert guidance.

She had been living with lung cancer after being diagnosed with stage four lung cancer in 2023. She later revealed she had joined the Swiss clinic Dignitas and became a prominent campaigner for assisted dying in England and Wales. MPs first voted to allow assisted dying for terminally ill people with less than six months to live, but the bill stalled in the Lords and later failed in the Commons. She said she was astonished and deeply grateful when MPs initially passed the bill, and later spoke of her sadness when it did not become law. She was too unwell to travel to Dignitas.

Rantzen began her television career at the BBC, working as a studio manager and researcher before moving on screen. Her big break came on Braden's Week, edited by Desmond Wilcox, who she later married. In 1973 she launched That's Life, which ran for more than 20 years and more than 400 episodes. It mixed consumer investigations, campaigning journalism and light entertainment, and drew audiences of up to 20 million. She was the lead presenter and producer, an unusual position for a woman in television at the time.

The show produced some of television's most memorable moments. In 1988 she reunited Sir Nicholas Winton, who helped save 664 mostly Jewish children from Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia, with members of the audience who owed their lives to him. That's Life also campaigned on child safety, organ donation and abuse. Those campaigns led to Childline, the free and confidential helpline for children, which she founded in 1986. On its first night, 50,000 attempted calls were made. The model has been copied in more than 100 countries, with some reports saying 150. Childline continues under the NSPCC.

After the death of her husband Desmond Wilcox in 2000, Rantzen set up the Silver Line, a helpline for older people facing loneliness and isolation. The service later became part of Age UK's work and has received millions of calls. She also produced The Big Time, which helped launch Sheena Easton's career, and presented programmes including Hearts of Gold, Esther and Channel 5's Do the Right Thing. She stood unsuccessfully as an independent parliamentary candidate in Luton after the expenses scandal. She received an OBE in 1991 and was later made a Dame for services to broadcasting and to children and older people.

Tributes came from across broadcasting, charity and politics. The Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, said she changed countless lives and gave a voice to people who often went unheard. He said he admired the courage and openness she showed about her illness. BBC Director General Matt Britton said her contribution to the BBC and public life was immeasurable and praised her ability to connect with an audience. Lord Michael Grade said he had lost a friend and the nation had lost one of the great broadcasting pioneers. The NSPCC's chief executive, Chris Sherwood, called her unique and remarkable. Childline's director, Shaun Friel, said she changed how society looked at children. The MP Kim Leadbeater described her as a mix of strength, feistiness, compassion and kindness. Elaine Paige and Gyles Brandreth were among others who paid tribute.

Lady Milena Grenfell-Baines, who was saved by Sir Nicholas Winton as a child and appeared in the That's Life audience, said she had contacted Rantzen's family to thank her. Rantzen's final public campaign ended in defeat, but she said she was sure a change in the law on assisted dying would come. She said she was deeply sad it would not come soon enough for many people who needed it.