Who was Esther Rantzen’s husband Desmond Wilcox?
ESTHER Rantzen became a household name in the 70s, thanks to her career as a TV presenter.
But it was during her rise to fame that she met her beloved late husband, Desmond Wilcox.
Who was Desmond Wilcox?
Born on May 21, 1931, Desmond John Wilcox was a British television producer, documentary filmmaker, journalist and television executive.
He worked at the BBC and ITV during his career and was producer of shows like This Week, Man Alive, and That’s Life!.
Sadly, he passed away in 2000 from heart disease.
At the time of his death, his wife Esther Rantzen spoke of how she had spent the “best years” of her life by his side.
She said: “I had 32 of the best years of my life with him.
“He radiated warmth and light into our lives and for the moment we fear that we have lost the sunshine we depended on.”
Over the years, Esther has often spoken about her late husband and the grief she still feels at his loss.
Talking to the Daily Mail in 2013, she explained: “Desmond’s last words to me were, ‘I adore you.’ I was sitting on his deathbed.”
She continued: “I will take those words with me to the grave.
“I said to my son last night, ‘If God gave me the choice between 10 more years of life and 10 more minutes with Desi, I would pick those 10 minutes.'”
In 2021, Esther said she felt “stuck” after Desmond died.
Speaking to the Express, she said: “It’s a bit like wandering around for ages and ages and ages with a plaster cast on and eventually being persuaded to take it off.
“Maybe I think the present and the future now are more important to me than the past.
“You never lose the pain, but it has this wonderful context of a celebration, it’s a really good feeling.”
What was Desmond Wilcox’s role at the BBC?
Desmond kicked off his TV career as a reporter on ITV’s This Week current affairs programme, before joining the Beeb.
He was co-editor and presenter of the landmark Man Alive series in 1965.
Desmond later formed the Man Alive Unit as well as providing the distinctive voice-over in the weekly current-affairs programme TEMPO.
He was also a producer on his wife Esther’s famous show, That’s Life.
Who was Desmond Wilcox’s first wife Patsy?
Before Esther, Desmond had been married once before.
His first wife was Patsy Price, and they were wed for 23 years from 1954 until 1977.
Desmond left Patsy for Esther after they had an eight year affair.
How many children did Desmond Wilcox have?
During his life, Desmond had six children.
With his first wife, he welcomed Claire, Adam, and Cassandra.
Desmond then had another three children with Esther – Emily, Rebecca, and Josh.