Dame Esther Rantzen told her daughter she had hoped her children would not witness her final decline.
Rebecca Wilcox recalled the exchange on Good Morning Britain on Friday.
The broadcaster died at the age of 86 in September after announcing her stage four lung cancer diagnosis in 2023.
Rebecca appeared on the programme to mark the 40th anniversary of Childline, the charity her mother founded.
Esther had spoken about her fears for her family’s memories long before her final days. She had hoped to protect her loved ones from seeing her suffer at the end of her life.
Dame Esther Rantzen’s daughter Rebecca Wilcox recalls her final days
Rebecca described how her mother’s physical decline had prevented her from making the choices she had wanted.
Speaking to Good Morning Britain, she said: “Cancer is evil. She still had the capacity to choose but her body let her down. She wanted to avoid her memory being eviscerated for us.”
Rebecca added: “She said to me in her last few days, ‘This is exactly what I wanted to avoid. I didn’t want you to see me like this.’ She was the youngest person at heart.”
Rebecca said she would miss her mother more than she had ever expected.
Esther Rantzen had stopped cancer treatment
In February, Rebecca had revealed that her mother’s cancer treatments were no longer working.
Esther was receiving palliative care, while her family prepared for the possibility of travelling to Dignitas.
Dignitas is a Swiss non-profit organisation that provides physician-assisted dying to people with terminal illnesses, severe disabilities, or unbearable suffering.
That followed an update in November 2025, when Esther said treatment side effects were outweighing the benefits. She planned to celebrate Christmas early with her family to improve her chances of being there.
Rebecca had urged Keir Starmer to change the law on assisted dying during a Good Morning Britain appearance in July 2024.
Rebecca Wilcox explains Esther Rantzen’s Dignitas plans
Rebecca said her mother had been booked and ready to travel to the Swiss assisted dying clinic. But Esther eventually became too physically fragile to make the journey.
Rebecca said Esther was upset that the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill was rejected this year.
Esther had campaigned with Dignity in Dying, seeking a change in the law for terminally ill people. She wanted them to have a choice over how and when they died.
Read more: Dame Esther Rantzen’s family shares her heartbreaking final message as she’s laid to rest
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