Dame Esther Rantzen says it is possible that her Stage 4 lung cancer was caused by asbestos in BBC buildings.
The That’s Life! and Hearts of Gold presenter, 83, spent decades working in a variety of the corporation’s buildings, including the Lime Grove studios, Shepherd’s Bush, which, it is claimed, were ridden with asbestos.
She has consulted her oncologist, but can only be assured her cancer was not caused by smoking. Over the past decade, the BBC has reportedly £1.64million in damages to 11 families of former staff who died from mesothelioma, a rare cancer caused by prolonged exposure to asbestos.
Speaking about how she has spent her time since her January diagnosis, Dame Esther said: “I’m making the most of each day, usually by sitting in my garden when the weather allows, enjoying the fresh air, the birds and the summer flowers.
“And occasionally wondering whether my particular brand of lung cancer was caused by all the asbestos in the BBC building I worked in for decades, or by the air pollution I walked and drove through during my many years as a Londoner. But in my 80s, I knew I had to die of something.”
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One TV source said: “There was lots of asbestos in Lime Grove – even in the canteen. One day, the men in white space suits came to try to take some of the asbestos out. Then it was demolished [in 1993].”
Dame Esther worked there for several decades, before the BBC stopped using the studios in 1991 and bid farewell to them with a special send-off broadcast celebrating 76 years of The Lime Grove Story.
It is not confirmed she has mesothelioma, but asbestos and pollution have not been ruled out as potential causes of her cancer.
Prolonged exposure and inhalation of asbestos particles allows tiny fibres to stick to the inside of the lungs, causing their condition to deteriorate slowly over time.
The effects can take more than 20 years to show. The use of asbestos was banned in 1999.
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A BBC spokesperson said: “The health and safety of BBC staff and all who use BBC buildings is a primary concern and the BBC manages asbestos in accordance with all regulations and statutory requirements.”
Dame Esther is meeting her diagnosis with optimism and is surrounding herself with family and friends at her home in the country. “I suppose I now know what I’ll die of, unless I walk in front of a bus or meet a hungry lion, both equally unlikely in my part of the New Forest,” she joked.
She adds in a chat with Yours magazine: “I am an evangelical non-smoker and gave up smoking 50 years ago. However, it turns out there are other kinds of lung cancer that are not caused by smoking.”
In January, when she revealed that she had cancer, Dame Esther said: “At the age of 82, this diagnosis has prompted me to look back over the years, and I want to express my profound thanks to everyone who has made my life so joyful, filled with fun, and with inspiration.
“First and foremost my family. My children Miriam, Rebecca and Joshua have been the most wonderful support, company, and source of love and laughter. I am deeply grateful to them.”
At the start of the year, Dame Esther was diagnosed with lung cancer that had spread into her armpit.
In May, she revealed she had been diagnosed as having Stage 4 cancer, and added of her treatment: “I’m on one of the new medications, and nobody knows if it’s working or not.”
She previously said: “My diagnosis of Stage 4 lung cancer made me realise how very lucky I’ve been in my life, working with Childline and the Silver Line, and meeting so many fascinating and inspiring people, and especially lucky to have spent 21 years working as producer/presenter of That’s Life!
“I’m not good at regrets,” she added. “What I treasure most are the fantastic friendships I have made thanks to That’s Life! during the last 50 years, the people I met and the team who worked so hard, and laughed so hard, together for so long.”
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