'Deprived of choice': Dame Esther Rantzen criticises the 'messy criminal law' on assisted dying in her posthumous farewell note

The Childline founder wrote that she became 'too physically frail to take the flight' to an assisted dying clinic in Switzerland. Esther Rantzen, 86, died at her Bramshaw home in the New Forest on September 30 after a stage four lung cancer diagnosis in 2023. MPs voted against legalising assisted dying in September. Her family confirmed she was laid to rest at a private funeral last week.

To opponents of reform she wrote: 'Rest assured I will not come back to haunt you.'

Her note urges campaigners to 'battle on': 'Nobody wants to shorten life, just to shorten death.'

Daughter Rebecca Wilcox called the funeral 'incredibly beautiful'; a larger memorial is planned.