Esther Rantzen’s tearful daughter discusses her mum considering assisted dying

Watch Esther Rantzen's daughter talk about her mum considering assisted dying

What did you miss?

Dame Esther Rantzen's daughter Rebecca Wilcox got emotional talking about her mum considering ​​assisted dying in Switzerland.

Rantzen, 83, is undergoing treatment for stage four lung cancer but she told the BBC that if it doesn’t work she might "buzz off to Zurich" where assisted dying is legal and she has joined Dignitas, which is a non-profit organisation which provides physician-assisted dying.

Euthanasia is illegal in the UK and can be prosecuted as murder or manslaughter. Speaking from her home in Surrey, her TV presenter daughter fought back the tears as she shared words of support for her mum on Good Morning Britain on Tuesday.

What, how and why?

The dame's daughter said her mum had her "absolute" support. She explained: "We're allowed to make decisions in everything in our lives. We make these decisions about our pets. If mum is experiencing such dreadful decisions and no hope, then why can’t we make this decision?"

In the emotional interview, she said her mum talked questioned if there are medicines that can make you live longer then "why are we allowed to use those and why not use the ones that let you have a dignified death?" Wilcox added: "We have midwives for birth, we don’t have midwife for death. Why can’t she make her own decisions?"

She further explained: "It’s really hard to talk about because I don’t want her to die but I want her to have a choice... Those that want to have a dignified painless death that is a positive experience. We should talk about death as a positive experience."

Richard Madeley then asked Wilcox whether she would go with her mum if she decided to make the trip to Switzerland. She responded: "You know what legally I can't say that. I hear that Switzerland is very nice." But earlier in the interview, she had said: "I would personally want to ground her plane if she was going to fly to Zurich. I don't want her to go."

Asked whether it was a family decision, Wilcox then revealed how her mum had come to consider assisted dying. She said: "She never makes a decision in complete isolation but she doesn't care what anyone else thinks." Of her mum's health struggles, Wilcox added: "It's horrific. She always promised us she would live forever. She’s not one to break promises. Bit upset about that."

What else happened on Good Morning Britain?

At the start of 2023, Dame Rantzen was diagnosed with lung cancer and her family didn't think she would make Christmas. Wilcox revealed her mum would be spending Christmas at her house. The daughter said "Christmas has exploded" at her house and having her mum there for the special day will be a "joy and a delight".

"It feels like a Christmas miracle," she said. "I hate saying that because it's so trite... We never thought we would have this Christmas. This is where she is coming for Christmas day. I’m not letting anyone with sniffle come near me."

Wilcox also discussed the impact her dad's death had on her. "It was horrific," she said. "His death replaced our memories for a really long time. It takes a really long time for it to be replaced by the wonder and compassion and genuine memories of such a wonderful father. He would be completely devastated that we were thinking about the tube that went here, the pain he had there. I couldn’t remember what it was like to hug him. That's what my mum wants to avoid."

For confidential emotional support contact The Samaritans at any time by calling 116 123 or emailing jo@samaritans.org

Read more

• Esther Rantzen on living with incurable cancer: ‘It makes each day even more precious’ (The Telegraph, 15-min read)