Esther Rantzen

Journalist and television presenter

British Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, England Cancer

Quick Info

ProfessionJournalist and television presenter
NationalityBritish
Date of Birth22/06/1940
Age86 years (died on 30, Sep, 2026)
BirthplaceBerkhamsted, Hertfordshire, England
Date of Death30/09/2026
Zodiac SignCancer

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Bio/Wiki

SummaryDame Esther Louise Rantzen was an English journalist and television presenter best known for hosting the BBC series That's Life! and for founding the charities Childline and The Silver Line. She died at her home in the New Forest, England, at the age of 86, after living with stage four lung cancer.
Religion/BackgroundBorn to a Jewish family

Educational Qualification(s)

UniversitySomerville College, Oxford
SchoolingNorth London Collegiate School; attended a school in New York for two years as a child
Subject read at OxfordEnglish

Personal Life

Marital StatusWidowed
SpouseDesmond Wilcox (married 1977; his death in 2000)

Relationships & More

SpouseDesmond Wilcox

Family

Parents
  • Henry Barnato Rantzen, an electrical engineer
  • Katherine Flora Rantzen (née Leverson)
SpouseDesmond Wilcox
Children
  • Miriam
  • Rebecca Wilcox
  • Joshua

Career

Known forPresenting That's Life!
That's Life!BBC television series presented from 1973 to 1994
Charities founded
Childline1986, a helpline for children
The Silver Line2012, combats loneliness in older people
Honours
OBE1991, for services to broadcasting
CBE2006, for services to children
DBE2015, for services to children and older people
PresidencyPresident of Childline until her death
CampaigningSupported assisted dying legislation

Some Lesser Known Facts

1. Worked closely with the campaigning organisation Dignity in Dying
2. That's Life! reportedly drew audiences of around 18 million at its height
3. Moved from north London to the New Forest at the age of 80

Also born on 22 June

Information on this page is collected from public sources and may not be 100% accurate. Report an error
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