Entertainment
Dame Esther Rantzen, broadcaster and Childline founder, dies aged 86
October 1, 2026 at 09:58 AM
Veteran broadcaster and campaigner Dame Esther Rantzen has died aged 86, prompting tributes from across British public life.
- Rantzen, who was terminally ill with lung cancer, died on Wednesday aged 86.
- She presented the BBC consumer show That's Life! for 21 years and founded the children's helpline Childline in 1986.
- Prime Minister Andy Burnham led the tributes, saying Rantzen had "changed countless lives".
- BBC director general Matt Brittin described her as a "legend of British broadcasting" whose contribution to public life was "immeasurable".