Dame Esther Rantzen’s daughter Rebecca Willcox appeared at the Royal Television Society Awards last night on behalf of her mother who had been honoured with a Gold Medal – the charity's highest accolade.
Last year, Rantzen was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer and recently announced she had registered for the assisted dying clinic Dignitas, in Switzerland.
Due to her declining health and inability to attend events such as the RTSA, Willcox was on hand to accept the award on her mother’s behalf.
The award was presented by Susanna Reid, who branded Rantzen “television’s original consumer’s champion and most fearless campaigner".
Giving her emotional speech, Willcox noted that it “infuriated” her that her mother had not been well enough to attend the event and accept the award herself.
“It’s totally bizarre to accept this on behalf of Mum because she should be here. It was such a wonderful speech that Susanna Reid did and such a warm feeling from the room and it infuriates me that she can’t be here," she told RTS.
.@soverybecca accepts her mother Esther Rantzen's RTS Gold Medal #RTSAwards pic.twitter.com/0nrmVuiTuh
— Royal Television Society (@RTS_media) March 26, 2024
“Her health doesn’t allow it but I hope that she’s going to see it and I hope that she can feel what we all felt in the room.”
The official RSA X account also posted about Rantzen’s award and said: “The RTS is honouring a legendary broadcaster and producer with one of its most prestigious accolades, the Gold Medal.
“Tonight, Susanna Reid presents it to Dame Esther Rantzen, who she calls ‘television’s original consumer’s champion and its most fearless campaigner’.” (sic)
Despite being ill, Rantzen has not stopped her campaign for a change to the law on assisted dying in the UK.
Rebecca has continued to help her mother fight to a change in assisted-dying UK laws
GETTY
Willcox recently explained that Rantzen’s “ideal death” would be surrounded by her loved ones but due to UK laws she cannot be accompanied by her family to Switzerland.
Under the current law in England, Wales and Northern Island, assisting suicide is punishable with up to 14 years in prison.
“It is the question you can't answer, as you know, 'How is she?' as everybody knows who has experienced cancer. You are as good as your last scan and for the moment the miracle drug she is on is working and is a holding drug.
“The report which was clearly very thorough and sympathetic to everybody's cause and spoke to a really wide range of society for people who have experienced it whose loved ones has done it, doctors, countries where it works and the interesting thing that I take away from it is the thing people worry about that palliative care will be degraded and that we will bring in euthanasia for those who just don't want to carry on living.
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Rebecca accepted an award on her mothers behalf
RSA/GETTY/X
“We are not talking about the mental health side of things. We are talking about a physical illness which has a terminal diagnosis where your life would end within around six months.
"It's a question of saving people from a painful, undignified death,” Willcox recently told Vanessa Feltz.
“Mum's ideal death, my ideal death that I imagine, I share this with many people would be to be in bed surrounded by my loved ones.
“Who instead would want to be in writhing agony for possibly months? How is it humane and progressive to think we are protecting people by not allowing them a painless, dignified death?”