Dame Esther Rantzen, 84, admits ‘it’s too late for me’ as she issues heartbreaking apology to fellow illness sufferers
Dame Esther Rantzen has shared a sobering update on her health and even apologised to fellow sufferers after revealing that an assisted dying bill won’t come into effect in her lifetime.
The 84-year-old broadcaster and philanthropist was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer in January 2023, after discovering a lump under her arm around Christmas 2022.
Rantzen has been a strong advocate for the assisted dying bill, despite knowing it won’t benefit her personally.
MP Kim Leadbeater, who introduced the bill, has agreed to pause its implementation until at least 2029.
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“I always knew that any change in the assisted dying law could not possibly come in time for me. So the delay — the law in England and Wales could be pushed back until at least 2029 — won’t affect me personally,” Rantzen wrote in a column for The Times this week.
While assisted dying remains illegal in England, the bill has recently been passed by the Isle of Man parliament and is awaiting royal assent from King Charles.
This would make the Isle of Man the first place in Great Britain to legalise assisted dying.
With the delay in mind, Rantzen felt she owed an apology to fellow terminal illness sufferers in the rest of the UK for not getting the bill passed sooner.
She poignantly penned: “I am extremely sorry for the sake of other terminally ill patients who will be denied the right to choose.
“The sooner it is put in place, the more patients will be given that right and the more vulnerable people will be protected from pressure or coercion.
“At the moment, the law does not protect them at all.”
Rantzen praised MP Leadbeater’s efforts: “It is a crucial campaign. Kim Leadbeater and her committee have worked so hard to create the new assisted dying law.”
“I owe it to them to support their work in any way I can,” she added.
Several MPs including Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Jeremy Hunt have backed the campaign.
Despite her prognosis, Rantzen is determined to make the most of her remaining time.
“I know my own future is extremely limited, so now I enjoy each day as it comes as an extra bonus,” she shared.
The broadcaster has found pleasure in simple activities during this difficult period.
“I am never bored. I even appreciate insomnia in my comfy bed listening to Radio 4 and the World Service,” she said.
Rantzen, who lives in a cottage in the New Forest, added: “I am extremely lucky to have a beautiful spring garden to admire.”
She has also become “addicted to quizzes and antique shows” as television provides companionship.
Last month, Rantzen’s daughter Rebecca Wilcox confirmed that her mother was no longer responding to the medication that had previously been easing her symptoms.
“I really wish that was true, but I don’t think that’s the case anymore,” Wilcox told 5 News when asked if Rantzen’s treatment was combatting the illness.
She also said during the interview: “I just wish that people understood that all the Assisted Dying Bill is, is choice for people that want it.”
Wilcox revealed that the Dignitas option was now effectively closed to her mother. “Frankly Dignitas is out of the window for us as well. You have to be relatively healthy to do that,” she said.