POPULAR TV star and campaigner Esther Rantzen heads an impressive list of Dorset and New Forest residents honoured by the Queen.

The ChildLine founder, who has a home in the New Forest, was made a Dame in the New Year Honours List, made up of a mixture of well-known faces and lesser-known members of the public.

A total of 1,164 people were honoured and are now eagerly awaiting a trip to Buckingham Palace. Famous people on the list include fashion icon Mary Quant and actors Kristin Scott Thomas, John Hurt, Sheridan Smith and James Corden.

CAMPAIGNER and TV presenter Esther Rantzen has spoken of her sadness that her husband didn’t live to see her become a Dame.

Speaking to the Daily Echo she said she is “thrilled” and “stunned” to receive the honour but added: “Desmond would have absolutely loved it.

“It would have been a real moment of pleasure for him. It is very difficult when you have something lovely that you would really love to share but he is not there anymore.”

Dame Esther, 74, who lives in the New Forest, has already received the CBE and OBE and said a trip to Buckingham Palace to receive the honour will be a special family occasion.

She added: “On the last two occasions I was allowed to take two people but I have three children so there are already family discussions about it.”

Dame Esther said she was told the news about two weeks ago and that keeping it a secret had been “a nightmare.”

She will receive the honour for services to children and older people, having established telephone helplines for both children in distress or danger and older people experiencing isolation.

She was married to documentary maker Desmond Wilcox for 30 years. He died in 2000, and she set up The Silver Line, a helpline for older people, after writing an article about her own experiences of loneliness.

Dame Esther added: “I am thrilled that this honour recognises the contribution made by ChildLine and The Silver Line in transforming lives, and I am delighted that the talented teams at both charities have also been recognised for their inspirational work and devotion to the most vulnerable children and older people in our society.

“I feel completely committed to the work of both charities and it is a wonderful honour to receive in my 75th year. My greatest wish is that Desmond could be here to share this news – he would have been so excited.”

Earlier this year she spoke of the impact of loneliness on older people, saying that it erodes self-esteem and confidence and can often follow the loss of a partner.

She said: '”I know about that because I wrote about my own loneliness and I have come to the conclusion that loneliness, which absolutely is not the same as isolation, is in my view associated with loss.”

A broadcaster best known for presenting BBC series That’s Life!, she set up ChildLine in 1986 to provide support to children and young people experiencing neglect and abuse, and the service has helped more than three million children.

In 2006 ChildLine became part of the NSPCC, and in 2009 it launched a website that received 2.4million visits in 2012-13.

Dame Esther received a CBE in 2006 for services to young people in recognition of the charity.