Dame Esther Rantzen’s daughter shares devastating health update on star’s terminal cancer
Dame Esther was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer in 2023.
Dame Esther Rantzen’s daughter has revealed that the ‘amazing’ new drug that was delaying the spread of her mother’s cancer is no longer working.
The 84-year-old broadcaster revealed in 2023 that she had been diagnosed with stage four lung cancer.
The long-time activist and founder of charities Childline and The Silver Line, was told at one point that she only had weeks to live and worried she wouldn’t see Christmas that year.
In a sad new update, the star’s daughter has revealed that the miracle drug she was taking is no longer helping.
Dame Esther’s daughter, Rebecca Wilcox, was asked during an interview with 5 News ifthe drug was causing an ‘improvement.’
To which she sadly replied: ‘I really wish that was true but I don’t think that’s the case anymore.’
Rebecca Wilcox (R) has spoken about her mother’s condition (Picture: Ben Pruchnie/WireImage for Stellar Productions)Dame Esther has been open about her support for the assisted dying bill.
When asked about what will happen if the Assisted Dying Bill remains unchanged, and euthanasia is still illegal in the UK, she said she will travel to Switzerland.
‘I will go to Dignitas in Zurich for an assisted death, which I hope will be quick and kind and merciful and easy.
‘And then, I shall come back and haunt the Members of Parliament that haven’t changed our law yet.’
Speaking about her mother’s support of the bill, Wilcoz said in the interview that she hoped people could sympathise with her mother’s situation.
‘I just wish that people understood that all the assisted dying bill is, is a choice for people that want it.
Wilcox has advocated for her mother (Picture: Channel 5)‘All it is, is giving you peace of mind and that peace of mind, I cannot tell you how powerful that would be right now for my mum.
‘I’m a witness to the trauma of uncertainty, to the trauma of stress around what is going to happen.
‘The fact that she doesn’t know how her death is going to happen, how the pain is going to progress, the exhaustion, the fatigue, what symptoms are going to come in.
‘She is a person who has fought her whole life for other people, and she has no control now.’
The broadcaster founded The Silverline for the elderly (Picture: Daily Mirror)In February, Dame Esther opened up about her ideal final moments in an interview with LBC Radio.
‘I’d like to fly off to Zurich with my nearest and dearest. Have a fantastic dinner the night before,’ she began.
‘I’d love caviar, if possible, and the fact that it doesn’t always agree with me doesn’t matter, does it?
‘I could even have champagne, which I’m deeply allergic to. Then the next day, go to this rather unappealing place where they do it.
‘Listen to a favourite piece of music, say goodbye to everybody. Tell them to cheer up.’
She added: ‘I’m meeting my late husband, my departed dog, and my mother at the pearly gates.’
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