Her contagious smile could light up a room, especially when it was combined with a slightly saucy twinkle in her eye.
And as I sat chatting with Dame Esther Rantzen in her chic penthouse apartment in Hampstead, north London, a certain question prompted that delicious trademark grin and an expression that reminded me of a naughty schoolgirl caught out: did she enjoy swimming in the nude?
She had just celebrated her 78th birthday with a pool party at her country home in the New Forest, and, after what her daughter, TV presenter Rebecca Wilcox, had told me in a joint exclusive interview with HELLO!, it seemed like a reasonable inquiry.
Raising her eyebrows, Esther nodded towards her tiny roof terrace and beamed mischievously as she replied: "Sunbathing, too. I used to take everything off out there until I saw some very tall cranes and was worried that the men working at the top might catch a glimpse and fall off!"
With her dry sense of humour, she had the innate ability to sprinkle many an incongruous scenario with laughter and fun.
And as I discovered that day, following on from the revelatory interview with Rebecca as the pair embarked on their mother and daughter That's Life! tour - a nod to the groundbreaking consumer TV show Esther had hosted for 21 years – she was certainly no prude.
© Trevor Leighton"Mum adores swimming in the nude," she divulged. "She's a naturist, really. If she wasn't famous, she would go in for full-on nudity. It's the freedom of feeling the wind and sunshine on her skin."
Warming to the theme, she added: "She's a bit naughty, my mum. But there's nothing sexual about it. For her it's about being comfortable with who you are. She's never had what she would perceive as a Hollywood body. She just wants us to see what real bodies are like."
Later, when I heard her being asked about her 'hobby' on a radio show, I chuckled at her reply: "Really, if someone doesn't like the sight of you in the nude all they have got to do is turn around and look at something else."
I'd always admired Esther for the way she had tenaciously championed the underdog, the elderly, children and consumer affairs for decades, changing lives and legislation along the way, but at that moment, she soared even higher in my estimation. Why shouldn’t a woman in her eighth decade throw caution and clothes to the wind and embrace the pleasures of swimming and sunbathing au naturel?
© Trevor LeightonAs well as rising to become a Dame, with a CBE and OBE to boot, Esther was also a bit of a rebel. This was, she claimed playfully, because she was "a child of the 60s."
This refusal to rigidly conform, or behave as society dictates for a woman of her maturity and rank, emerged in various ways. I smiled as her daughter Rebecca - who after her mother's death this week poignantly described her as the family's "irreplaceable everything" - told me about Esther’s relationship with her boys, Benji, now 14, and Alexander, 12.
"They adore Mum because she's like a naughty toddler," she said. "She does everything I don't want her to do, such as calling out words like 'Bum' really loudly." Esther grinned sheepishly in response.
"l get ticked off rotten," she admitted, before going on to explain why she enjoyed indulging them. "You love your children - but you're in love with your grandchildren."
Understanding that feeling in others, the mother-of-three – to Miriam, 48, Rebecca, 46, and Joshua, 45 – and grandmother of five to Benji, Alexander, Teddy, 12, and nine-year-old twins Florence and Romilly - campaigned for the law to represent the importance of the relationship between grandparents and grandchildren.
© Trevor LeightonAs well as being a devoted mother and grandmother, Esther proudly described herself to me as a “workaholic”, who spent her life fighting for change.
She became a household name, graduating to fully-fledged national treasure, while presenting the most popular show on TV, the BBC consumer show, That’s Life!, for 21 years (from 1973-1994). Up to 22 million viewers – including me as a child - tuned in every week, not only for the hilarious segments that included rude-shaped vegetables sent in by fans, a ping-pong playing cat and a talking dog that appeared to say "sausages", but also to watch its amusing skits and entertaining host, Esther.
Humour aside, she was relentless in her quest for change and to help others. A veritable powerhouse, her campaigning led to changes in legislation, such as introducing safe surfaces in playgrounds and making seatbelt-wearing compulsory for children in cars.
© Getty ImagesShe also founded Childline, a helpline to combat bullying and abuse, for children and young people, in 1986, and The Silver Line, a support service for members of the older generation experiencing loneliness, in 2012.
It was, she told me, the death of her beloved husband, producer and documentary maker Desmond Wilcox, who passed away after a heart attack at the age of 69 in 2000, that was the catalyst for setting up The Silver Line.
"I'd never lived alone before and I loathed it," she admitted to me. "No matter how busy I was during the day, when I came home, I was on my own. I was inundated with letters from people who felt the same. Then I had my lightbulb moment."
Would she, I ventured to ask, be open to finding love again? She paused, replying carefully: "If the right person came along. There have been very kind people who've shown an interest in me."
Valiantly prepared to find out, Esther did, Rebecca told me, go on dates through Silver Line dating and the show Celebrity First Dates.
"I'd be happy for Mum if she fell in love again," she said. "If she finds that with another man, so be it. But he would have to pass so many tests. Mum has been on dates …but she was amazed at the control some men thought they could have over her life. Men of her age seem older than her. She's young physically and in her outlook, so she needs someone at least 30 years younger. That's what she admires about Joan Collins."
© David M. BenettIt was with great sadness in January 2023 that I heard Dame Esther had been diagnosed with lung cancer. As courageous as ever, she shared her devastating news, saying: "I have decided not to keep this secret anymore because I find it difficult to skulk around various hospitals wearing an unconvincing disguise and because I would rather you heard the facts from me...
"I have been continuously inspired by the courageous children, older people and viewers who have trusted me with their life stories. I have always tried to live up to that trust."
In true Esther style, she paid tribute to her family and friends for their steadfast support. "At the age of 82, this diagnosis has prompted me to look back over the years and I want to express my profound thanks to everyone who has made my life so joyful, filled with fun, and with inspiration.
"First and foremost, my family. My three children Miriam, Rebecca and Joshua have been the most wonderful support, company and source of love and laughter and I am deeply grateful to them. My friends have been amazing and have created memories which sustain me and give me strength."
© Getty ImagesA campaigner to the end, Esther became a prominent figure calling for legalised assisted dying in England and Wales, and described it as a "tragic day" when the Bill failed. She passed away, aged 86, on 30 September, surrounded by loved-ones at the beautiful family home she created with Desmond in the New Forest.
A poignant letter, written to her family, friends and fans, was released after her death, saying, "Sadly, good things come to an end" and spoke of her hope that she would see them "on the other side." Esther would wrap up every episode of That's Life! with the stoical words, "That's life," and this was her final sign-off. But there’s no doubt that wherever she is, she’ll be campaigning, rebelling and lighting up the room with her magnetic personality and megawatt smile.
