Lonely Esther’s cheese binges

DAME Esther Rantzen has told of her loneliness, revealing she spends solitary evenings bingeing on cheese and biscuits with only the TV for company.

The 75-year-old TV presenter, pictured, whose husband, Desmond Wilcox, died 15 years ago said she longed to find a companion through online dating but feared she was too famous for this to be practical. This had made her consider setting up her own dating service for older people, Silver Dating.

Talking about how she whiles away time 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.’

She added: ‘There is a stigma to admitting you are desperately lonely. The worst part is not having someone I love to share the best times with.’