Esther Rantzen, the Bafta-winning TV presenter and founder of Childline, has died at the age of 86. She had announced a diagnosis of stage four lung cancer in 2023.
Ms Rantzen became a vocal campaigner for changes to assisted dying laws. In September 2026, she stated she had to abandon plans to end her life at the Swiss clinic Dignitas because she was too physically frail.
She began her career in 1963 at the BBC and became the main host of the consumer affairs programme That's Life! in 1973. The show ran for 21 years with Ms Rantzen as anchor.
In 1986, she launched Childline, a children's charity, after a successful episode of That's Life! about child abuse led to a high volume of calls. She also founded the Silver Line, a confidential helpline for older people, in 2010.