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Esther Rantzen: The dame who feared being boring

Dame Esther Rantzen has died aged 86.

Dame Esther, who lived in the New Forest, had fame with That’s Life in the 1970s. She set up Childline in 1986 and a similar support service for older people, Silverline, in 2012.

The former broadcaster made her lung cancer diagnosis public in 2023.

The BBC's Briony Leyland looks back at her life.

Image: Getty

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5 minutes

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