Ten Things You Never Knew About Esther Rantzen
Esther Rantzen was one of the famous faces that headed into the jungle for I'm A Celebrity... on Sunday. The former That's Life! presenter is an established journalist and founder of the ChildLine charity. After appearing on Stars In Their Eyes, Strictly Come Dancing and helming her own chatshow, a few creepy crawlies shouldn't cause her too much bother. Read on to find out ten fascinating facts about the TV broadcaster.
1. Esther clearly isn't a fan of Top Gear, describing Jeremy Clarkson as the "male animal in extremis". She once said: "There are certain men who are like litmus paper for me; if they express a view, that's really helpful, because I know I'm going to think the opposite. Clarkson is one."
2. One of Esther's pearls of wisdom is "never eat cat or dog food". The That's Life! star says it is "viler than you might expect".
3. Despite being the founder of ChildLine, Esther admits that she has probably been guilty of bullying in the past. "There are ways I treated people in the heat of the moment that I should have done differently," she said.
4. Esther has now done two major reality shows, appearing on Strictly and I'm A Celebrity.... However, she never appeared on Celebrity Big Brother, despite constant rumours in 2002. Producers plumped for fellow veteran TV host Anne Diamond instead.
5. Esther's long list of honours includes an OBE, CBE, a Dimbleby Award and honorary doctorates from London South Bank, Southampton Institute and Portsmouth Universities.
6. The 68-year-old won't rule out plastic surgery in the future. "Studio lighting is very unpleasant and puts a shadow under everything," is her explanation.
7. If only Esther had spoken to Jonathan Ross before 'Manuelgate'. Earlier this year, she said: "He depends on scatology, obscenity and shock, and I don't think he needs to...I believe that in the quest for total freedom of language, the viewers' boundaries have also been disrespected."
8. Esther doesn't believe in growing old gracefully. She says: "My clothes mean I'm thumbing my nose at the passing of time. So what if people call us mutton dressed as curly, girly lambs? We're too old now to be careful."
9. Esther discovered in 2008 that her great-grandfather Montague Richard Leverson accidentally shot a parlour maid when he was 18. "Up until that moment, I had always believed my family was stiflingly respectable," she said.
10 Justifying certain people's dislike for her, Rantzen says: "Some people find me gruesome looking. I am extrovert, I am upfront, I do tend to give my beliefs...some people think women should be seen and not heard, and are more interesting if they are silent and mysterious. I'm not silent and mysterious."
