I have received many wonderful messages of love and support from friends and family. On top of that, my amazing sister Alice also secretly started a campaign to get some 'other people' to send me a message - below I have showcased a selection. 

My sincere thanks to you ALL, the support has meant everything. 

A LETTER FROM THE 39th PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, JIMMY CARTER

EMAIL FROM ESTHER RANTZEN, JOURNALIST AND TV PRESENTER

From: Esther Rantzen <esther@***********>
Date: 7 December 2015 at 06:36:03 GMT
To: <samantha.johns@*********>
Cc: <Alice@***********>
Subject: Sending you Esther Rantzen's very best wishes
Reply-To: <esther@***********>

Dear Samantha,

I have heard from your family how tough life is for you at the moment. I also know from the emails they have sent me how brave you are, and how you have inspired everyone around you. These must be very difficult times for you, and for everyone you love, and I am thinking of you.

I imagine you are being inundated with messages from people you know, and other people, like me, you don’t know, and maybe don’t want to know!  I do hope you don’t mind me getting in touch, it does occur to me that perhaps I am one of your least favourite tv presenters – if so, I apologize. The problem with tv is that although we know viewers do shout at the screen when we irritate them, their comments don’t always reach us.  (Maybe that’s a good thing, judging from that wonderful programme, Gogglebox.   I don’t know if you are feeling well enough to watch, it’s on Channel 4 at nine, and I have to watch for my own education, just to see viewers being really honest about the way we annoy them!)

Some celebrities have the gift of never annoying anyone – like Mary Berry – or my old dancing partner Anton du Beke - who is doing amazingly well at the moment in Strictly.  Imagine, he’s in the Semi Finals!  At last!   I’m delighted for him.   He was fantastically patient with me when I couldn’t remember any of the steps he tried to teach me, so clearly viewers also realize how tolerant and good natured he is, and maybe he’ll win!   (You may not be a Strictly viewer, in which case I apologize again. But it is extraordinary how many people who can’t dance and won’t dance are riveted by the programme. I must admit I fall into that category, a complete non-dancer, as will be obvious to anyone who watched my 3 weeks on the show.   I was what Craig called A Disahster, Darling.  And for once he was being kind!)

I am rushing around the country at the moment, visiting all our ChildLine Bases (we have 12 all over the UK) and thanking them for all the wonderful work they do.They will be open all through Christmas, and so will The Silver Line which is our new helpline for older people. It’s amazing how listening to the young, and the old, actually transforms their lives, if they think we really care about them, and value them, which of course we do.   

Worryingly, people keep asking me these days when I’m going to open a dating service for older people, but that scares me.  I have always found dating so difficult myself, I certainly don’t think I’m expert enough to help other people!

Christmas seems to be galloping towards us even faster than normal this year – I haven’t started on my cards and shopping yet – I have only reached the stage of making lists. Finding presents for the men in my family is a special problem,  now that they’ve all given up wearing ties - I don’t imagine any of them would enjoy a scented candle, but chocolates, or a bottle of wine seem really unimaginative, so maybe the answer is vouchers.   Not creative, but usually quite popular, and slightly more personal than wrapping up a few pound notes. The past teaches me that it’s only when it gets really close that I get it all done.  

I know all your friends and family will be gathering around you at this precious time, may  I send you all my love,

With very best wishes,

Esther