Lorraine's grieving co-star backs 'urgent' assisted dying law change after mum's suffering

Lorraine Kelly's co-star Doctor Hilary Jones has backed Dame Esther Rantzen's campaign to legalise assisted dying in the UK, following his mum Noreen's recent death aged 97. The medical expert made the on-air call following Lorraine's latest interview with Esther's daughter Rebecca Wilcox today, in which she echoed her mum's calls for a law change and reflected on the pain her father suffered before his death.

Esther, who has stage four lung cancer, has called for those with physical illnesses, and a life expectancy of six months or less, to have the right to choose when they die. During her daughter's chat with Lorraine, Rebecca hailed her mum as "extraordinary" for her campaign work so far, which reached the attention of Labour leader Keir Starmer this week.

Rebecca also went on to discuss how seeing her late father suffer in the lead-up to his death overrode previous happy memories of him. After the interview, Hilary said he knew all too well about seeing a loved one suffer following his mum's recent death.

Backing Esther's calls, he shared: "Rebecca and Dame Esther are absolutely right. We've got antiquated, cruel laws which prolong people suffering. I'm completey behind that campaign, we need to change the laws on assisted dying."

Hilary went on to say that while people will have concerns about legalising the procedure, it was important to give those suffering a choice. "People will say that mentally ill people or vulnerable people might be taken advantage of, you can mitigate against that, you can have things in place that stops that happening," he explained.

"There are these arguments against [it] which have to be put forward for balance. But, my mother was 97, she was completely with it, but the last few days of her life, she couldn't breathe, she couldn't swallow.

"She had a syringe driver and an excellent palliative care team, but it wasn't enough, she was still suffering."

Recalling her words to him as she laid in pain, he added to Lorraine: "She said, 'Hilary, I know you would like to help me to end my suffering and I'd like you to, but I won't let you because you can't, especially you, you can't'.

"So, I had to watch the last few days of her life in suffering unnecessarily, so we need to have this conversation and we need to change the law. We need to do it urgently, not by the end of the decade.

"Especially with healthcare getting worse, with less people able to do palliative well, we need it more urgently than ever."

Assisted suicide is currently illegal in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and carries a maximum prison sentence of 14 years.

Dame Esther has joined the Dignitas assisted dying clinic in Switzerland, a not-for-profit organisation that provides physician-assisted dying to its members who have illnesses "that will lead inevitably to death, unendurable pain or an unendurable disability" and who have made a "reasoned request" with medical proof.

The presenter said her decision to join was partly made so that her family's "last memories" of her were not "painful because if you watch someone you love having a bad death, that memory obliterates all the happy times".

This week, Esther was contacted by Labour leader Starmer, who said he would allow MPs time to debate and vote on a change in the law if he wins the next election.

Sir Keir has said he is "personally in favour of changing the law" and told Esther: "I think we need to make time. We will make the commitment. Esther, I can give you that commitment right now."

Asked whether he would like a vote within five years of the general election, he told ITV: "Oh yes, definitely.

"I think Esther would agree with this. For people who are going through this or are likely to go through it in the next few months or years, this matters hugely and delay just prolongs the agony."