WONDERFUL HELP HAS GIFTED ME AN EXTRA SPECIAL BIRTHDAY

BELOVED Dame Esther Rantzen today shares the joy of her 84th birthday - one she never expected to see.

- Giles Sheldrick

Surrounded by her adoring family, Britain's most doughty campaigner terminally ill with lung cancer - will give thanks for the miracle drug keeping her alive. Dame Esther said: "This birthday will feel extra, extra special thanks to wonderful medical help."

She will celebrate with children Rebecca, Joshua and Miriam, plus grandchildren Benji, nine, Xander and Teddy, seven, and four-year-olds Florence and Romilly.

There will be no fuss or surprises at her New Forest home - but lashings of chocolate cake. The low-key gathering is typical of the That's Life! presenter who never thought such a happy reunion would happen again.

She said: "I certainly never expected to see this birthday - it's a tribute to the new cancer treatments which seem to be holding it back. So I am taking each day as an extra treat and trying to make the most of every moment." Despite receiving expert medical care, Dame Esther admits that she has fears just like every other cancer patient.

She explained: "Like everyone on these new cancer treatments I live from one scan to the next. We call it 'scanxiety' because we all know at some stage the treatment will fail and only a scan can tell us. But then we all have to die of something, don't we?"

The lifelong campaigner is resolute that she will enjoy the time she has left as best she can: "You haven't got all the energy in the world so you prioritise the things you really want and need to do.

"You've worked out what television programmes you most enjoy, which chair is the most comfortable and who makes you laugh. I am taking nothing for granted and trying to appreciate each new day."