\n An event celebrating Childline\u2019s four decades took place in London on Wednesday, a week on from the broadcaster and campaigner\u2019s death at the age of 86 after a cancer diagnosis.\n<\/p>\n
\n Ms Halliwell, who lives on the Oxfordshire border near Banbury and is an ambassador of Childline, said Dame Esther had \u201cworked tirelessly to found Childline 40 years ago\u201d and \u201cwould want us to honour her work\u201d by ensuring it carries on.\n<\/p>\n
\n Her death prompted tributes from celebrities, campaigners and Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who said she \u201cchanged countless lives and gave a voice to people who often went unheard\u201d.\n<\/p>\n
\n READ MORE: Raymond Blanc, 76, opens up on ‘no money’ in honest admission<\/a>\n<\/p>\n \n Dame Esther, who spent 21 years fronting BBC consumer affairs show That\u2019s Life!, founded Childline \u2013 to provide counselling for young people \u2013 after a temporary helpline opened for viewers affected by a programme about a toddler who had starved to death was swamped with callers.\n<\/p>\n \n The calls mainly came from children suffering sexual abuse they had never been able to disclose to anyone else, giving Dame Esther, who studied at Oxford University, the idea for a specific helpline for children, open 24\/7 throughout the year.\n<\/p>\n \n Ms Halliwell, addressing guests at the event ahead of Childline\u2019s official 40th anniversary on October 30, said: \u201cOf course, there\u2019s no way to discuss the incredible work of Childline without mentioning the inspirational Dame Esther Rantzen, who worked tirelessly to found Childline 40 years ago.\n<\/p>\n \n \u201cI first met Esther following the death of my dear friend George Michael in 2016. After George died, it was Esther who told me how much he had donated to the charity over the years, and it blew me away.\n<\/p>\n