Esther Rantzen now ‘too physically fragile’ to end her life in Switzerland
Broadcaster Esther Rantzen has announced she is no longer physically able to travel to Switzerland for assisted dying. Despite her previous plans to use the Dignitas clinic, her deteriorating health has made the journey impossible.
Why it matters
The case highlights the ongoing ethical and legal debate surrounding assisted dying laws in the UK as Parliament prepares to revisit the issue.
Esther Rantzen pictured in 2024. Esther Rantzen pictured in 2024. Esther Rantzen Esther Rantzen now ‘too physically fragile’ to end her life in Switzerland Broadcaster, 86, had intended to end her life in Swiss clinic after being diagnosed with terminal lung cancer in 2023
Prefer the Guardian on Google Esther Rantzen has said she is no longer able to travel to Switzerland to end her life because she has become “too physically fragile”.
Rantzen, who presented the TV current affairs programme That’s Life! for 21 years and founded the youth support charity Childline, had intended to end her life in a Dignitas assisted dying clinic in Switzerland after being diagnosed with terminal lung cancer in 2023.
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