Diana Rigg’s plea for assisted dying was heartfelt, but wrong

In recordings made days before her death, the cancer-stricken ‘Game of Thrones’ actress argued for its legalisation. But, James Moore knows from painful, personal experience – and from what’s happened in Canada – that this would be a step too far…

Diana Rigg, who died of lung cancer in 2020, was a convert to assisted dying (Rex Features)

“Nobody talks about how awful, how truly awful the details of this condition are, and the ignominy that is attached to it. Well, it’s high time they did. And it’s high time there was some movement in the law to give choice to people in my position. This means giving human beings true agency over their own bodies at the end of life.”

The late Dame Diana Rigg’s impassioned plea for the legalisation of assisted dying – made in recordings before her death from cancer in 2020, was revealed by her daughter, Rachel Stirling, at the weekend. Stirling had promised the star of Game of Thrones and the Avengers TV series that she would share her mother’s message with the public.

Reading Rigg’s words going into graphic detail about her treatment for lung cancer, it is impossible not to hear that fierce, articulate voice in your mind. She was an incredible woman.