Esther Rantzen laid to rest as family share final message from late broadcaster

Esther Rantzen laid to rest as family share final message from late broadcaster Dame Esther Rantzen's family have reveald the Childline founder left a heartfelt note to read following her dead at the age of 86 last month Dame Esther Rantzen has been laid to rest in an “incredibly beautiful” funeral but told how she felt “deprived of any choice over my own death”, in a newly-published note written before she died. The Childline founder, who died aged 86 at her home in the New Forest last month, had been diagnosed with stage four lung cancer in 2023. The family confirmed they attended a small, private funeral last week, following her death last month. A larger memorial service is expected to take place at a later date, with details yet to be announced. Rebecca Wilcox told the Press Association: "It’s been hugely comforting to know that people around the world felt the same way about her as we did." To see more of the stories you love from The Mirror and to find them easily in Google then make us your preferred source. Free and easy-to-do, just click on the link here to find more from The Mirror at the top of your feed. She revealed her mum left a "goodbye and thank you” note for all those who campaigned on the “crucial life and death issue” of assisted dying that Dame Esther had become a strong proponent for in her later years. In her letter, she encouraged campaigners to “battle on”, and she vowed to “do everything I can from here to help you”. The former That’s Life! presenter wrote: “It would have transformed the way I died if the law had allowed me to ask for assistance to die when my life had become unbearable. Not because I would have used that choice. “But because the last days and weeks would have been infused with the hope and confidence of a swift, pain-free death and my family would not have had to witness any suffering or lack of dignity and privacy at the end. “I know from my own experience that witnessing those agonising moments can blot out all the memories of so many happy days spent with the people that you love." She went on: "I was extremely lucky because I had the talent, skill and support of my local Oakhaven Hospice. But I was still deprived of any choice over my own death by the current messy criminal law.” While she knew the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill – which had been introduced in Parliament in 2024 but failed to make its way into law – would not have come into force in time for her, she wrote the letter from the perspective of being dead. But she said she aimed to help speed on the process for the law "for the sake of other future generations”. She went on to say that in her last moments she had become “too physically frail to take the flight” to an assisted dying clinic in Switzerland. But she did thank the Dignitas team for their help. She also paid tribute to those who had supported the pro-assisted dying campaign and paid special thanks to them. She added: "To those who have opposed it and blocked the new Bill, rest assured I will not come back to haunt you, I have better things to do and anyway I believe you too have the right to choose, but not the right to impose your choice on the most vulnerable people such as dying frail little old ladies like me. “To those who will battle on and continue to support the reform and especially patients and their loved ones who urgently need it, I will do everything I can from here to help you. After all, nobody wants to shorten life, just to shorten death.” Dame Esther’s family requested that any tributes for the late broadcaster are made in lieu of flowers to charities including Oakhaven Hospice, Childline, The Silver Line and Cats Protection in her name. Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.