Esther Rantzen

Dame Esther Louise Rantzen (born 22 June 1940) is an English journalist and television presenter who presented the BBC television series That's Life! for 21 years, from 1973 until 1994. She works with various charitable causes and founded the charities Childline, a helpline for children, which she set up in 1986, and The Silver Line, designed to combat loneliness in older people's lives, which she set up in November 2012. Rantzen has been recognised for her contribution to television and society. She was awarded an OBE for services to broadcasting in 1991 and a CBE for services to children in 2006, and in the 2015 New Year Honours was made a Dame for services to children and older people through Childline and The Silver Line. She is a patron of a number of charities, including the charity Operation Encompass, and the charity Silver Stories. She remains President of Childline and her daughter Rebecca Wilcox is Deputy President of Childline and has trained to be a volunteer counsellor there. She works closely with Dignity in Dying.