Vanessa Feltz left in tears after Esther Rantzen's devastating cancer update

29 February 2024 , 21:11

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Vanessa Feltz left in tears after Esther Rantzen's devastating cancer update

Vanessa Feltz struggled to contain her emotion during a chat with Dame Esther Rantzen's daughter.

Rebecca Wilcox appeared on Vanessa's Talk TV programme following the news that her mother, Dame Esther, 83, shared the devastating signs that she's nearing the end of her cancer battle. The journalist and TV presenter has stage four lung cancer, and has renewed her calls for a debate and vote on legalising assisted dying, saying she would feel "confidence" knowing her own death could be "dignified".

During her Talk TV show, Vanessa and Rebecca discussed Dame Esther's decision to sign up for the Dignitas assisted dying clinic, which she has been vocal about.

Vanessa struggled to contain her emotions (TalkTV)

"Mum's ideal death, my ideal death that I imagine, I share this with many people would be to be in bed surrounded by my loved ones," said Rebecca. She added: "Take a very gentle cocktail of whatever it may be, and I know I'm simply [saying] buying the medicine here, but then to gently drift off holding their hands. Who wouldn't hold that? Who instead would want to be in writhing agony for possibly months?"

But as the interview came to an end, Vanessa, 62, who is a family friend of Dame Esther's struggled to contain her emotion as she burst into tears. "Rebecca, thank you very much, and give mummy all my love and a big kiss from me please," she said through tears. Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Dame Esther said: "It's a constant background to everything I do.

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Her outpouring of emotion comes after Dame Esther's devastating news (PA)

"I'm watching the spring flowers come out, thinking: 'This is probably my last spring.' When I talk to my grandchildren when they come and visit me, I'm very aware these moments are precious. They may be the last memories they have of me. My own death is constantly in my mind. It would give me so much confidence if I could also know that however the illness progresses, whatever pain it causes, wherever it strikes me next, I will still have the choice of a pain-free, dignified private death surrounded by the people I love."

The veteran broadcaster continued: "I'm not demanding that everybody in the world agrees with me, I'm just saying let’s debate all the issues now that we've got international evidence and we know the public attitude is in favour." Esther has joined Dignitas assisted dying clinic in Switzerland, but has noted that her family could face criminal charges if they were to accompany her to end her life there. In England and Wales, the 1961 Suicide Act makes it an offence to encourage or assist someone to take their own life.

Daniel Bird