Dame Esther Rantzen’s daughter has insisted social media companies “must do better” after fake images claiming to show the 85-year-old were posted online.
Rebecca Wilcox said the idea of such deathbed pictures being available was “hugely upsetting” to her terminally ill mother.
The availability of the fake images online prompted Dame Esther’s family to release photographs from her 85th birthday celebrations at the weekend.
While she has spoken in the media about her cancer battle and in support of the assisted dying campaign, it is the first time Dame Esther has been seen publicly in around two years.
Dressed in a yellow floral outfit and wearing a sunhat and sunglasses, the Childline founder and broadcaster smiled as she celebrated at home with her family on Sunday.
Ms Wilcox told the PA news agency: “Her garden looked beautiful, her grandkids were just the happiest, it was seriously a sparkly, lovely day.
“It was just a little, family, private joyful gathering, and then on Monday we see these pictures. So it was a strange rollercoaster that we went on.”
Ms Wilcox was alerted to the fake images by a friend and said it was “dumbfounding” to see them, adding: “Because what is the purpose of this other than cruelty and clickbait?”
She said that just because her mother had lived a life in the public eye throughout her career “doesn’t give you permission to make up a story or make up an image that will affect so many people that love and care about them”.
Branding it a “despicable use of technology”, she said she had yet to hear back from Facebook owner Meta, having almost immediately reported the fake images to the social media giant.
“They have done absolutely nothing about it. It’s not good enough,” she said.
Asked what her message is to social media companies, she said: “I think they have to stop saying they have no autonomy in these situations.
“Through Childline I have seen the real, pernicious malevolence that lurks on these social media platforms.
“They need to stop absolving themselves of responsibility and pretending that their company and their platform is too big to control.
“They must do better and they should do better.”
Meta has been contacted for comment.
Dame Esther has been one of the most high-profile voices in the debate on legalising assisted dying, although she has acknowledged the legislation – currently being considered at Westminster – would likely not become law in time for her to use it and previously said she would have to “buzz off to Zurich” to use the Dignitas clinic.
