Older and Bolder: My A-Z of surviving almost everything

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Hope is what makes life worth living. Every one of those survivors had gone on to find a way to protect other children. So I say to our volunteers: it’s not just the child you are talking to you are helping, it may be generations of children. As someone deeply involved in Childline for many decades now, how do you feel society’s attitude towards children has changed over your lifetime? So many older people ringing the Silver Line have told me that it’s been years since they had fun. If I were Prime Minister, I’d bring in a law that everyone must have fun at least once a day. I have loads of fun. My children and grandchildren invariably make me laugh. During the birth of Rebecca’s first child, Rantzen was jokingly dismissive of her daughter’s all-natural yoga-breathing birth plan, responding with ‘epidural, epidural, epidural’. In hospital, during a sharp contraction, she again said ‘epidural’, causing Rebecca to fling a plastic cup of water in her direction. ‘The nurse was so upset, not because my birth plan had been undermined, but because I had dared to throw water at a national treasure,’ Rebecca laughs. ‘In the end, mum was totally right. She always is, annoyingly, but it sometimes takes a long time to realise it.’

Even though she gave up smoking in the middle, she put on weight which is why she took up smoking again. Talking about how she always asked people 'How do you do?' when meeting, Esther added: "Unfortunately, as I grumble in my new book, people now say 'How are you?' So actually I could give a complete list of everything that has been stopped, collapsed, lifted...no I may not tell you about that." The bad news is that so many older people have nobody in their lives to have an enjoyable conversation with. The good news is that telephone chats can fill that gap, to an extent, especially if they’re regular.Earlier this year, Esther released a statement about her diagnosis that read: "I have decided not to keep this secret any more because I find it difficult to skulk around various hospitals wearing an unconvincing disguise, and because I would rather you heard the facts from me. At Childline, we take what children tell us seriously. This should also apply to children who tell us they cannot bear to live as the gender they have been assigned. Years ago, when I was presenting That’s Life!, I met ‘Mike’ who was desperately distressed and hated his/her girl’s body.

Three of them went to prison as a result of the That’s Life! investigation. In the end, I made the right decision. Maybe not a complete wimp, then. Just a bit wimpish. Esther Rantzen is not just an ordinary journalist and television presenter next door, but she has offered many contributions to society. Be bolder as you grow older, and make sure you float above any challenges that threaten to overwhelm you. Esther Rantzen is an English journalist & television presenter who announced on 29 January 2023 that she had been diagnosed with lung cancer. Now, several fans have one question ‘Is Esther Rantzen a smoker’ arising after her announcement.I remember a judge telling me that a child who had broken down in tears under cross-examination had been ‘caught out in a lie’. One boy told me that having to describe the details of sexual abuse and then be accused of lying was more painful than the abuse itself. We still have a great deal to learn. Do you have a view on the current gender identity conversation around young people? And the embittered step-daughter is Cassandra, the child of legendary TV producer Desmond Wilcox, to whom Rantzen was happily and very publicly devoted for 32 years. My colleagues with whom I have worked, and continue to work with in broadcasting, journalism, the voluntary sector, and in many other organisations have been a constant pleasure, and have amazed me with their tolerance of my wild ideas and awful jokes.” The journalist added that she had decided to disclose her condition ‘because I would rather you heard the truth from me’ and ‘because I find it hard to skulk around different hospitals wearing an implausible disguise.’

Loneliness a huge issue, not only for older people. Is there something we should be doing, at a grassroots or government level, to combat it? Yes, I was a complete wimp. Although being controller is such a huge, demanding job it would have meant I spent far less time supporting Childline. And I would have had to give up That’s Life!, which would have meant not exposing Crookham Court, a boarding school owned by a paedophile who employed several paedophile teachers and routinely abused the boys. At the age of 82, this illness has caused Rantzen to reflect on the years, and she wants to convey her sincere gratitude to everyone who has contributed to making her life so wonderful, enjoyable, and inspiring. Furthermore, she is waiting for test results to determine the best course of treatment for her condition.In the meantime, she’s happy hunkered down at home in the New Forest, surrounded by her family, with much to be proud of and no regrets. She’s keeping busy, but it’s a different kind of busy these days. When I was an undergraduate, universities were aware of their responsibility in loco parentis. Now that 18-year-olds are officially adults, too many universities don’t stay alert and protective. Speaking to the Mirror, Rantzen said: “I’m on one of the new medications, and nobody knows if it’s working or not. But I will have a scan fairly soon, which will reveal one way or another.” But yesterday Cassandra retaliated, with a barrage of accusations of inaccuracy, cruelty and unpleasantness. 'Esther has claimed that when my father was dying, he took off his oxygen mask and gave her "a kiss so passionate that it made the children blush". I was in the hospital during the last hours of my father's life. His breathing was shallow and he was on morphine and other drugs.' That is one of the gentler rebukes to the accuracy of Rantzen's recollections.