Dame Esther Rantzen’s daughter has issued a health update on her mother, amid the star’s terminal cancer diagnosis.
The star revealed in 2023 that her lung cancer was stage four. However, over the years she has remained in good spirits, as she continued to share her support for the assisted dying bill.
But today (February 27), her daughter, Rebecca Wilcox, appeared on ITV’s Good Morning Britain. While she was there, she gave a heartbreaking update on her mum’s illness.
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Dame Esther Rantzen’s health update
During the conversation, presenter Kate Garraway asked how they, as a family, were dealing with the condition. And checked in on her mum.
Rebecca explained: “As a family, we’re great. Because we live in denial about everything. I mean, who has cancer? No one has cancer.
“But obviously, seriously, it’s a really weird time. As anybody who knows – or has got someone they adore – who has got a terminal diagnosis. You just live in a state of anxiety between the scans.”
Rebecca went on to speak specifically about her mum, confirming that things are now “palliative”.
She emotionally said: “Mum is incredible. I don’t know how she’s doing it. She is surviving not only the cancer, but the treatments as well. She is now obviously palliative. The treatments have stopped working. And she is still going.”
Rebecca went on to explain that Dame Esther Rantzen was “cross” that the assisted dying bill legislation looks likely to run out of time.
Co-presenter Ranvir Singh asked if Dame Esther would “go abroad” if the “awful crossroads” came to her, after she previously explained she would go to Dignitas, in Switzerland.
Rebecca confirmed: “Absolutely. I mean, we are in this privileged position, if that’s the word. whereby she can afford to have the death that she wants and deserves. She will pay £15,000 to go to Dignitas. She will go before she has to. She will go months before she would die here. And she will have to go alone.”
Dame Esther’s cancer battle
In recent years, Dame Esther Rantzen stepped away from the public eye to focus on her cancer battle.
The heartbreaking update comes after Dame Esther actually celebrated Christmas early with her family last year, fearful she wouldn’t be around to see the real thing.
She also spoke last year, about how she had stopped her cancer treatment.
The star said: “Right now, I am not receiving any treatment, which was my doctor’s decision. The side effects outweigh the benefits. So, the cancers are progressing. But according to my most recent scan, very slowly.”
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