LONSON (AP) — Esther Rantzen, the British broadcaster and campaigner who became a prominent voice in the recent attempt to get assisted dying legalized in the U.K., has died. She was 86.
In a statement, her three children said their "adored mother” died on Wednesday.
“We will always remember her endless capacity for joy, her ability to comfort every heartache, her beautiful way with words and her expert guidance in all things," her children Miriam, Rebecca and Joshua Wilcox said.
Over the decades, Rantzen became one of the most respected figures within British media, helping her to establish charities that helped both the young and old.
She was perhaps most famous for fronting the BBC consumer affairs program “That’s Life!” for 21 years from 1973 to 1994. Over the years, the show branched out beyond consumer affairs to investigate life-and-death issues, including an investigation into how a boarding school employed pedophiles and a critique of the U.K.'s lack of organ donors. It could also be light-hearted, blending satire and farce with the more hard-hitting segments.
The program led her to set up Childline in 1986, a helpline for children in danger or distress that was open 24/7 throughout the year. She later launched The Silver Line in 2012, which aimed to tackle loneliness in older people.
“Her legacy of compassion and understanding will live on in her charities Childline and The Silver Line, and through those of us who were lucky enough to love and be loved by her," her children said.
Rantzen was appointed a dame in 2015 by Queen Elizabeth II for services to children and older people through Childline and The Silver Line.
In later life, Rantzen became a strong proponent for assisted dying, after she was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer in 2023. She openly discussed her own plan to “buzz off to Zurich” because assisted dying is legal in Switzerland, and she criticized the “messy and cruel” law in England and Wales that would criminalize loved ones who tried to help in any endeavor to do so.
Earlier this month, ahead of a vote in Parliament where the latest effort to legalize assisted dying was defeated, Rantzen said it was too late for her to travel, because she had become “too physically fragile to make the journey."
Tributes poured in for Rantzen, with particular praise for her campaigning and charitable work.
“Through her decades of campaigning, including founding Childline and The Silver Line, she changed countless lives and gave a voice to people who often went unheard,” said British Prime Minister Andy Burnham. “And I will always admire the characteristic courage and openness with which she spoke about her illness, making us all think about the difficult questions we face at the end of life.”
Rantzen was married to Desmond Wilcox, a television producer and documentary maker, who died in 2000.
“We are grateful she is finally at rest with her beloved husband, Desmond Wilcox, but we will miss her immeasurably," her children said. “She was our sunshine.”
FILE - British TV presenter Esther Rantzen arrives at Buckingham Palace in London for a reception for those ' Serving Beyond Sixty' hosted by Britain Queen Elizabeth II and Duke of Edinburgh, Thursday, May 18, 2006. (AP Photo/Sang Tan, Pool, File)
Cristiano Ronaldo walked out on Portugal’s training camp on Wednesday, hours after coach Jorge Jesus said the star forward would not start the game against Denmark in the Nations League on Thursday.
Ronaldo said that “in time” he would “tell the Portuguese people the truth about the reasons” behind his departure.
“Following the national team coach’s news conference, and after a conversation with the president of the Portuguese football federation, I decided to leave the national team’s training camp,” he said on Instagram, adding that he has always “dedicated” himself to the side.
Jesus had said in the pre-game news conference he was not planning to start Ronaldo, but dismissed the notion there was a feud between the pair.
Jesus said every player knows the coach makes the decisions, and that Ronaldo told him he would abide with whatever choices he makes.
The coach added the “rules are the same for everyone” and that Gonçalo Ramos would start up front against Denmark if everything went to plan.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen in the game,” Jesus said. “If we need him (Ronaldo) to play (at some point), he’ll play. If not, he won’t.”
Ronaldo, the all-time leading scorer in men’s international soccer with 146 goals and pursuing the milestone of 1,000 career goals, didn’t play on Sunday in Portugal’s 2-1 win over Norway. He has not trained with the rest of the group since, sparking widespread rumors about a possible feud with Jesus.
Jesus, who worked with Ronaldo for about a year in Saudi Arabia, said the player did not refuse to practice after having been left on the bench.
“It seems like there was an issue between us, but there was no issue,” Jesus said. “I’m the one who makes the decisions and everybody knows that.”
Jesus acknowledged he had told Ronaldo he would likely play against Norway, but changed his mind because of the circumstances of the match.
He said it was a mistake to send Ronaldo to warm up for as long as he did and then not use him. Jesus added “any player” would be upset about that.
But Jesus did not apologize for telling Ronaldo that he was likely to play.
“I can promise whatever I want, I’m the coach,” Jesus said. “No player will ever make a decision for me.”
Jesus said, though, that someone with the stature of Ronaldo deserved a different type of attention from coaches “because of his career and history in soccer.”
Jesus, who took over the squad from Roberto Martínez after the World Cup, said he ended up being “obligated” to have a meeting with Ronaldo because of the noise created in Portugal over the situation.
But he maintained there was no “Ronaldo case” to talk about and there was nothing to solve between him and the player because nothing was wrong.
Jesus said it was normal that the federation president, Pedro Proença, also met with the pair.
“We had to talk the three of us, but I had already talked with Chris and the president didn’t have to solve anything because there was nothing to solve,” Jesus said.
Ronaldo started Portugal’s 1-0 win over Wales last Thursday but was substituted in the 67th minute. On Tuesday, he posted on Instagram a photo of him wearing the kit accompanied by the country’s flag and a heart emoji.
Portugal leads Group A4 of the Nations League with six points from two matches, three points more than Denmark and Norway. Wales is last with no points.
Portugal also hosts Norway on Sunday.
See AP’s full soccer coverage here
Portugal head coach Jorge Jesus enters the field for the Nations League soccer match between Portugal and Wales in Lisbon, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)
Portugal head coach Jorge Jesus enters the field for the Nations League soccer match between Portugal and Wales in Lisbon, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)
Portugal head coach Jorge Jesus stands by the pitch before the Nations League soccer match between Portugal and Wales in Lisbon, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)
Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo starts on the bench during a Nations League soccer match between between Norway and Portugal, in Oslo, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026. (Cornelius Poppe/NTB Scanpix via AP)
