As she eases into her 80s, the That’s Life! presenter is slowing down – but only slightly. She talks about misbehaving, getting older and her new podcast, That’s After Life!
A while into my Zoom interview with Esther Rantzen, her phone rings. She apologises, says she must switch it off, answers it. “Hello,” she says. “Ah… Ah!” And she breaks into a big, familiar, toothy smile; a smile that, if you are of a certain age, will have been part of your television experience growing up. “Are you my second jab?”
The voice on the other end confirms that, yes, this is indeed her second jab. Next week, same place as the first, Milford on Sea. Fabulous news. Esther tells me she’ll take her daughter Miriam along with her in case they have any spare vaccine at the end of the day, she’s heard people have done this. Miriam who’s in her 40s (Esther forgets exactly how far into them) has myalgic encephalomyelitis, ME, but hasn’t been vaccinated. “It’s not considered an underlying health issue in spite of the fact that we know every time she gets a virus of any kind it produces a very serious relapse.”
