Dame Esther Rantzen‘s daughter has revealed the poignant last words her father whispered to her mother before his death. Ester, 84, was deeply in love with her husband Desmond Wilcox, who died at the age of 69 from a heart attack in 2000. Twenty-five years on from his death, Esther’s daughter, Rebecca Wilcox has now shed light on his final moments.
Of her father’s passing and his perfect relationship with her mother Esther, who is terminally ill with lung cancer, Rebecca 45, said: “If I were to believe in soulmates, I have the perfect example. I mean, they tried not to be together.
“They adored each other from the get-go. They lived through everything together. His last words to her were ‘my love’ and he just looked at her and it was, you know, that is … I suppose, if I believe in an afterlife, that is a positive, because she’s going to get to see him again. She’s going to get to see her beloved parents, as you know, and all her friends who’ve gone before.
“But I mean, that’s a relationship and a half. They have modelled for me life. They have modelled to me how to seize life, shake it by the throat and get everything you want out of it, in joy, in philanthropy, in friendships and relationships,” the proud daughter added.
It comes after Esther recently expressed one final wish to meet her again. The Childline founder, who has terminal lung cancer, has regularly spoken about how much she misses her later husband, once even claiming that she would have given up ten years of her life, just for another 10 minutes with him.
A quarter of a century on from his death and it’s clear Dame Esther’s love for Desmond lives on and, as she looks ahead to her own death, she’s expressed a poignant hope for what comes next.
In a recent interview with The Times, the assisted-dying campaigner spoke bravely about the “extremely limited” future she now has while remarking that any change to assisted-dying legislation in the UK “could not possibly come in time” for her.
She also spoke movingly about her enduring love for Desmond, pondering on the possibility of an afterlife where they could be reunited once more. Dame Esther said: “If there is a heaven, it would be a very happy place. It’s a lovely idea to meet Desmond again and all those I have loved and lost – my parents and grandparents, my close friends and family.”
The broadcaster fell in love with documentary maker Desmond in 1968 while he was still married to his first wife Patsy Price, who was also Dame Esther’s best friend and BBC colleague. An affair began, which sent shockwaves across the BBC. Desmond, who was then head of the general features department, was forced to resign.
Opening up last year on the Rosebud with Gyles Brandreth podcast, Dame Esther admitted that the circumstances under which their romance began had “always” bothered her. She shared: “Always. I’m extremely sad that was the situation and we tried to break up quite often. It was not good news.”
Although Patsy, who had three children with Desmond, initially contested the divorce, she eventually relented after learning that Dame Esther was pregnant. Dame Esther and Desmond married in December 1977 and went on to welcome three children of their own: Emily, now known as Miriam, Rebecca and Joshua.
After Desmond’s death, Dame Esther reflected that their years together had been the happiest of her life. She stated: “I had 32 of the best years of my life with him. He radiated warmth and light into our lives, and for the moment, we fear that we have lost the sunshine we depended on.”
Over the Christmas period of 2022, Dame Esther discovered a lump in her armpit. Mere weeks later, in January 2023, a biopsy confirmed she had cancer. By May of that same year, Dame Esther confirmed she had stage four cancer and had been given medication to keep her comfortable and ease her symptoms. Last month, her daughter Rebecca revealed the medication was no longer working and that her mother was no longer responding to it.
Since opening up about her diagnosis, Dame Esther has frequently spoken about her decision to sign up for Dignitas. a Swiss assisted dying clinic, in a bid to exercise some control over the end of her life, should things become “unbearable.”
Considering the legislation currently being discussed in parliament, Dame Esther said: “I always knew that any change in the assisted dying law could not possibly come in time for me. So the delay — the law in England and Wales could be pushed back until at least 2029 — won’t affect me personally.
“I am extremely sorry for the sake of other terminally ill patients who will be denied the right to choose. The sooner it is put in place, the more patients will be given that right, and the more vulnerable people will be protected from pressure or coercion. At the moment, the law does not protect them at all.”
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