Dame Esther Rantzen has revealed the cancer drug keeping her alive has stopped working. The...

Published: 2:12 pm February 1, 2026
Updated: 7:06 am February 15, 2026

Dame Esther Rantzen has revealed the cancer drug keeping her alive has stopped working. The 85-year-old TV legend says she doesn’t have long left.

Stage Four Lung Cancer Takes Grim Turn

Writing in The Observer, Dame Esther marked the anniversary of her stage four lung cancer diagnosis. Thanks to a new treatment, she’s beaten the odds – but now a scan next week will show how far the disease has spread.

“I’ll Die Alone in Switzerland if Law Doesn’t Change”

Hard-hitting as ever, Dame Esther warns she won’t live to see assisted dying legalised in the UK. If her suffering becomes unbearable, she says she’ll have no choice but to travel alone to Dignitas in Switzerland to end her life.

“No one wants to fly to Switzerland and die alone, but the law denies the right to end our lives with dignity and love,”

Calls for Lords to Stop Blocking Assisted Dying Bill

She slammed efforts in the House of Lords that block assisted dying legislation. Dame Esther pointed out the brutal reality faced by terminally ill people forced to endure pain or die abroad without family.

She’s urged MPs and peers to listen to the voices of those suffering at the end of life. Her message is clear: future generations deserve a fast, pain-free death option when facing terminal illness.

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