TV presenter Esther Rantzen tells of her hopes to find a companion

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Dame Esther Rantzen, 75, ‘binges’ on cheese and biscuits in front of the TV
Her husband, Desmond Wilcox, died 15 years ago
The campaigner is looking for love and longs for a companion

By Sam Creighton, Showbusiness Reporter For The Daily Mail

Published: 20:13 EST, 15 November 2015 | Updated: 21:04 EST, 15 November 2015

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Through her work with Silver Line, Dame Esther Rantzen has helped thousands of older people struggling with loneliness.

But the TV presenter has revealed that since the death of her husband in 2000, she is by no means immune to suffering from her own isolation.

The 75-year-old told of how she spends solitary evenings ‘binging’ on cheese and biscuits with only the TV for company – watching episodes of The X Factor, Strictly Come Dancing and Downton Abbey.

TV presenter Dame Esther Rantzen has revealed that since the death of her husband in 2000, she is by no means immune to suffering from her own isolation.

The mother of three also admitted that she longs to find a companion through online dating services but fears she is too famous for this to be practical. This had made her consider setting up her own dating service for older people, Silver Dating.

Dame Esther’s husband, Desmond Wilcox, died 15 years ago and she revealed she has struggled ever since. She said: ‘There is a stigma to admitting you are desperately lonely. For me, the worst part is not having someone I love to share the best times with.’

Talking about how she whiles away evenings on her own, she told The Sunday Times: ‘I binge on cheese and biscuits because I love them and binge on X Factor, Strictly and Downton. I watched five instalments of Downton in one afternoon.

‘What you realise is that if you are facing a crucial loss in your life, like a partner or sight or hearing, it is very difficult to fill that vacuum, so you find a distraction. I am doing so much that when I get home at night I just keel over and fall asleep in the bath.’

She made her comments just days after elderly couple Fred and Doris Thompson, both 95, phoned 999 because they had become so lonely. Greater Manchester Police responded by sending officers to keep the pair company over a cup of tea.

Dame Esther also spoke about her desire to find another romance later in life. Her friend, actress Maureen Lipman, began a liaison with a ‘gentlemen friend’ after her husband Jack Rosenthal died in 2004.

Dame Esther believes her fame is an obstacle to meeting new people. She said: ‘I’d love to go on a dating site and absolutely yes it works, but could you imagine if I did that? I once advertised for a cleaning lady and when I opened the front door she looked at me and said, “Oh God no,” and ran’.

She added that many callers to Silver Line speak of wanting to meet new partners after their spouses have died. Towards this end, she is considering setting up a new Silver Dating service. She said: ‘A lot of my callers and pleading for it, because they are lonely, have lost a partner and want a new one’.