Adrian Mills praises co-star Dame Esther Rantzen’s ‘incredible legacy’

Dame Esther Rantzen has left an “incredible legacy” and helped thousands of children through her charity efforts, her former That’s Life! co-star Adrian Mills has said.

The broadcaster and campaigner has been remembered by a host of celebrities following her death aged 86.

The news was announced by her family in a statement which praised Dame Esther as “the most wonderful mother” and a “cherished grandmother”.

Dame Esther started her career as a broadcaster and became a household name after hosting consumer show That’s Life!, and went on to establish children’s charity Childline.

Mills worked with Dame Esther on consumer show That’s Life! (Ian West/PA)

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Dame Esther featured a number of incidents of child abuse and neglect on That’s Life! with Mills recalling the “thousands” of children who reached out to the programme thanks to her efforts.

He told Good Morning Britain: “The first I knew about it was Esther wrote the script on Friday and said: ‘I’m putting something in the script and I’d like you to read it’.

“It was from a young boy who was being severely abused.

“I read that letter out, this was before mobile phones and online media, the following week we received, not one or two, but thousands of letters from children all over the country.

“Esther said, ‘I am going to do something about this and no one is going to stop me’ and goodness me, what a legacy that is.”

Mills also praised Dame Esther’s “dry sense of humour” and said she “didn’t tolerate people who didn’t give 100%” at work.

He added: “She was the most remarkable broadcaster, she was one of the greatest friends.

Dame Esther featured a number of incidents of child abuse and neglect on That’s Life! with Mills recalling the ‘thousands’ of children who reached out to the programme thanks to her efforts (Ian West/PA)

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“Right up to the end, she was part of a That’s Life! WhatsApp group.

“There are very few broadcasters who are known only by one name.

“Her legacy is incredible.”

Dame Esther’s friend and fellow broadcaster Gloria Hunniford said: “She was unique.

“There was never anybody like Esther and there probably never will be again.”

Hunniford praised Dame Esther for speaking about loneliness following the death of her husband Desmond Wilcox in 2000.

She said: “When Desmond died, she was very open.

“She came out and talked about, when you lose your partner, how it’s lonely.

“She talked about loneliness is her own life and I thought that was brave, very open.”

Dame Esther’s friend Gloria Hunniford said: ‘There was never anybody like Esther and there probably never will be again’ (Ian West/PA)

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Hunniford was sad not to have seen her friend before her death, saying: “I was sad, recently I didn’t see her before she passed.

“That was her choice, she didn’t want too many people down in the New Forest and I understand that.”

Hunniford also praised Dame Esther’s campaigning to legalise assisted dying in the UK.

She said: “There was never anybody like Esther and there probably never will be again. At 86, she was still fighting her best.

“I’m sure had she been spared another six months or a year, she would have continued to fight for assisted dying.”