Dame Esther Rantzen, 85, Still Alive Three Years After Terminal Cancer Diagnosis, Family Says

Dame Esther Rantzen, 85, will turn 86 on June 22, her daughter Rebecca Wilcox said during an appearance on Channel 5's Vanessa programme. Wilcox, 46, told viewers that her mother received a diagnosis of terminal stage four lung and breast cancer three years ago.

"She was diagnosed three years ago with terminal stage four lung and breast cancer, so every day is a wonderful miracle and we really are cherishing it," Wilcox said.

She added that the family remains grateful for each additional day. "We are so grateful. We are just so grateful to have her here," Wilcox stated on the programme. She described the approaching birthday as "brilliant" and noted that Dame Esther shares the family's surprise at her continued survival.

"She's as astonished as anybody that she's still here," Wilcox said. Dame Esther maintains a strong attachment to her garden, which Wilcox called "gorgeous" and identified as her mother's central passion. Dame Esther and her family converted a dilapidated farm into the garden from scratch, Wilcox said.

She added that Dame Esther was an early adopter of rewilding practices and joked that "Monty Don has nothing on her" in that regard. "I got married there," Wilcox said of the property. Desmond Wilcox, Dame Esther's husband of more than two decades and the father of their three children, died in 2000 at age 69 after a heart attack.