Dame Esther Rantzen has opened up about her final wish as she faces the final stages of her battle with terminal lung cancer.
The 84-year-old broadcaster and founder of Childline revealed that she has “very little time left” and expressed her deepest desire — to be reunited with her late husband, Desmond Wilcox, who passed away in 2000.
Reflecting on their 30-year relationship, Esther spoke of the possibility of an afterlife where they could be together again. She described the thought of seeing Desmond, along with other loved ones she has lost, as a beautiful and comforting idea.
“If there is a heaven, it would be a very happy place,” she said. “It’s a lovely idea to meet Desmond again and all those I have loved and lost — my parents and grandparents, my close friends and family.”
Their relationship began in 1968 while working at the BBC. They later married, had three children, and shared three decades of life together. Esther recalled that Desmond’s last words to her were “I adore you,” and said she would gladly trade ten years of her life for just ten more minutes with him.
“If God gave me the choice between ten more years of life and ten more minutes with Desi, I would pick those ten minutes,” she once said.
Unfortunately, her health has recently deteriorated.
Her daughter, Rebecca Wilcox, revealed that the cancer treatment Esther had been receiving is no longer working. Although the medication had previously slowed the disease’s progression and offered hope, it is no longer effective.
Both Esther and Rebecca have become strong advocates for the legalization of assisted dying in the UK.
Rebecca explained that the bill is about providing people with a choice — a small but powerful sense of peace.
“All the assisted dying bill is, is choice for people that want it,” she said. “That peace of mind, I cannot tell you how powerful that would be right now for my mum.”
She also spoke about the emotional toll of uncertainty, watching her mother face each day without knowing how her condition will unfold.
“She doesn’t know how her death is going to happen, how the pain is going to progress, the exhaustion, the fatigue, what symptoms are going to come,” Rebecca shared.
“She is a person who has fought her whole life for other people, and she has no control now. Why can’t we give people like my mum with a terminal diagnosis, with no other choice, some choice as to when and how and where they die?”
Esther’s openness about death, grief, and personal dignity has deeply moved many. As her condition progresses, her wish to reunite with the man she loved most serves as a poignant reminder of how enduring love can be — even in life’s final chapter.
