Chartered Financial Planner Justin King has interviewed TV celebrity Dame Esther Rantzen for his popular Retirement Cafe podcast.

Mr King chatted to the former host of TV’s That’s Life consumer show and founder of Childline about her work with The Silver Line - a phone service to help combat  loneliness and isolation in later life.

She explains the story behind The Silver Line in the latest Retirement Cafe podcast available here: https://lnkd.in/eBk6z-D 

In 1986, Dame Esther launched ChildLine – a free, private and confidential service where children can talk about issues they are facing. ChildLine is now part of the NSPCC and Dame Esther is still involved. She is also a patron of 19 charities and has a damehood for services to children and older people. 

More recently, she launched The Silver Line – a telephone support service providing information, friendship and advice to older people – that has already received well over 2.5m calls. 

Mr King said he approached Dame Esther because she lived locally and had been impressed by her work with the Silver Line. A listener to the podcast suggested interviewing Dame Esther because of her work to combat loneliness in older people.

He said: “I was honoured to be invited into Esther’s London home to chat with her about the great work The Silver Line is doing to tackle loneliness and isolation in later life. Esther made me feel very welcome with her humble, humorous outlook.

“During our conversation she shared a number of real stories about people The Silver Line has helped. It is clear that the charities she has founded and supports are dear to her heart.”

The Chartered Financial Planner and SOLLA member launched the weekly ‘Retirement Cafe’ Podcast in 2019 to to help consumers get ready for life after work.

The podcast reflects the fact that the transition into retirement is a “life-changing event, not just a financial one.”

It focuses on retirement planning as well as a need to address challenges and opportunities that come with post-work life.

Justin King is a Chartered Financial Planner and SOLLA Accredited Later Life Adviser with retirement planners MFP Wealth Management. He is also a Kinder Institute Life Planner.