Esther Rantzen, 85, reveals fresh health battle amid terminal cancer diagnosis as TV legend concedes ‘that’s what I’ve got’
Broadcasting icon Dame Esther Rantzen has disclosed that she’s currently experiencing a fresh health blow after suffering a bout of anxiety related to her latest scan results, or so-called “scanxiety”.
The 85-year-old television personality shared her anxious state during an appearance on Radio 4’s PM programme with presenter Evan Davis.
When asked about her well-being, she responded: “Well, I never quite know. I’m between scans, and there’s a condition we, all of us, who know too much about cancer or more than we want to know, a condition called ‘scanxiety’.
“So as you catch me now, that’s what I’ve got, I’m waiting.”
The former That’s Life presenter has been battling stage four lung cancer since her diagnosis in January 2023.
The veteran broadcaster has been receiving experimental medication to combat the disease, though she revealed in March 2025 that these treatments are no longer proving effective.
During a June appearance on Loose Women, she explained that whilst one targeted drug had provided temporary relief, it had since stopped working.
In late 2023, Dame Esther became a member of Dignitas, the Swiss assisted dying organisation, expressing her wish for a dignified end should her medical situation deteriorate significantly.
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She told Loose Women: “I thought I had a very, very short time [after diagnosis] and that’s why I quickly signed up to Dignitas so I could choose an assisted death if things got really rough.”
Rebecca Wilcox, Dame Esther’s daughter, has expressed deep concern about facing criminal charges if she accompanies her mother to Switzerland.
“Please, please don’t make it worse for me by accusing me of murdering her,” she has previously stated, explaining that as a working mother, she cannot risk imprisonment.
Ms Wilcox revealed her internal conflict, acknowledging that whilst she couldn’t imagine allowing her mother to travel alone to such a facility, the threat of prosecution creates an impossible dilemma.
She described the prospect of enduring a court case during the most difficult period of her life as “terrifying.”
Dame Esther has suggested that workplace conditions at the BBC might have contributed to her illness.
She recalled that during the late 1980s or early 1990s, workers in protective suits removed asbestos from the Lime Grove Studios in West London, where That’s Life was filmed for 21 years.
“This did not surprise any of us since my team had called our route to the canteen ‘asbestos alley’,” she told The Times in 2023.
Despite her initial prognosis, the broadcaster has exceeded expectations, remarking on Loose Women: “Who knew I’d be 85, heavens.”
She credited innovative cancer treatments with granting her additional years she hadn’t anticipated following her diagnosis.