Dame Esther Rantzen's heartbreaking Christmas revealed by daughter Rebecca Wilcox
28.12.2023 - 00:21
/ dailyrecord.co.uk
Dame Esther Rantzen spent her Christmas surrounded by loved ones, including her beloved daughter Rebecca Wilcox. The family have been dealing with troubling news, as Dame Esther was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer back in January this year.
She only made this news public in May, as she explained that it had spread, but she still remained "optimistic". Rebecca Wilcox has been spending her time relishing each moment she has with her mother, and was determined that this Christmas was the exact way she wanted it to be.
Writing for the Mirror, Rebecca Wilcox described what may be her final Christmas with her mother Dame Esther, as they spent it surrounded by family and love.
This Christmas was to be like no other for my family. It’s not often that you know beforehand it will be the last time you will dish out turkey and pull crackers at the table with your mother, but that’s what this year has been for us.
You see, my mother, broadcaster and campaigner Esther Rantzen, has stage four cancer. She thought she would be dead in spring, but a miraculous drug has meant that we have another Christmas with her, a wonder we couldn’t have imagined possible when she was diagnosed in January. I was determined to make the most of it.
I ordered two turkeys, I didn’t want to risk the green turkey disasters some families faced on Christmas morning. Decorations went up in November and were added to and finessed right up until Mum and my sister, Miriam, arrived just before Christmas. Their room was festooned with holly and glitter, a large box of goodies was placed on their table, filled with everything they might need or want during their stay.
Their elderly rescue cat, who my family is horribly allergic to, was to stay in his room but was