BBC Newsnight halted for Esther Rantzen update after drugs stop working

Dame Esther Rantzen has given an update on her health during a call into BBC Newsnight on Monday (March 16). The Childline founder, 85, was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer in 2023, and last year revealed that the life-preserving drugs she was on to help extend her life had stopped working.

Speaking to anchor Matt Chorley on the show, Esther explained that she has become an “outlier” even as she urged the House of Lords not to block the assisted dying bill. Esther plans to travel to Dignitas in Switzerland alone to end her life when she has six months or less to live.

Matt put to her: “The treatment you’ve been having… you are still with us, and we’re grateful for that. But then you’re also talking about trying to make the trip to Switzerland alone.

“How will you manage to arrange that on your own and how will you, without being insensitive, make the difficult judgement on the right moment?”

Dame Esther replied: “Well, it’s when we all think I’ve got six months or less to live. That appears to be the right sort of timescale, but the problem with me, according to my oncologist, is that I’m an outlier.

“I’m living longer than he expected me to. Nobody knows why, but the last scan I had, things were improving, in spite of the fact the drugs aren’t working and I’m not being treated anymore.

“If, at the next scan – which he’s actually booked for June, can you imagine? – if it shows that I’m still improving, I’ll carry on fighting. Maybe it’s this battle that’s keeping me going, who knows?”

She added: “I’m just begging the House of Lords to face the facts… please, please let this compassionate, sensible, practical, scrutinised bill pass the way it was intended.”