Esther Rantzen says doctors ‘surprised’ she has lived longer than expected

Dame Esther Rantzen has issued an update on treatment for her terminal cancer as she is “living longer” than her oncologist expected her to. The television presenter, 85, has stage four lung cancer. She is one of the most high-profile supporters of the assisted dying bill, and has previously said she will not live long enough to see the proposals become law. Dame Esther has previously said she does not have “much longer” to live because a drug she has been taking since 2024 has stopped working. In an update on Monday’s (16 March) Newsnight, Dame Esther said “nobody knows why” she is living longer than her doctor expected, adding that she would have another scan in June. She also issued a plea to politicians over the assisted dying bill, claiming that most people in Britain “want and need” the proposed legislation.