Dame Esther Rantzen has delivered a devastating update on her health, revealing she is now being “attacked by a completely different kind of cancer” as she prepares to celebrate Christmas early with her family.
The beloved broadcaster, 85, was first diagnosed with incurable lung cancer in 2023 and earlier this year announced she had stopped treatment after her life-preserving medication failed. In her latest column for The Times, Esther said she recently learned that another form of cancer had emerged, explaining that doctors told her it would normally require chemotherapy and radiotherapy. She said she didn’t know exactly what type it was, only that it was “quite annoying to have two different kinds of cancer simultaneously”.
Despite this, she revealed she is no longer receiving treatment at all, a decision made by her medical team because “the side-effects outweigh the benefits”. According to her most recent scan, the cancers are progressing, “but very slowly”.
Esther also admitted she has been struggling with intense “scanxiety”—the overwhelming fear that builds every time a new scan approaches.
Earlier this year, Esther publicly supported the assisted dying campaign and spoke openly about her plan to travel alone to Dignitas in Zurich if her suffering ever became unbearable. She said her health “has not been bad enough for me to book a flight”, but movingly added that she hopes she’ll be allowed to “say goodbye to my family” and have what she calls a “good death”.
In a touching revelation, Esther shared that she has begun making small plans for the future—like ordering tulip bulbs for the spring—after realising she “may last longer than expected”.
For now, she is focusing on family. She has arranged an early Christmas celebration, wanting to make sure she gets the chance to gather everyone together. And if she is “still around” for December, she said she’ll happily enjoy quiet days at home, “spiced up with plenty of exuberant Zoom and phone calls”.
Her honesty and courage have once again sparked admiration from fans around the UK, who have praised her for speaking so movingly about life, death, and dignity.
