DAME Esther Rantzen says she has joined assisted dying clinic Dignitas after battling lung cancer.
The BBC television presenter was told she had stage four terminal cancer in January and and does not know how long she has left.
Speaking on the Today Podcast, Esther, 83, said she did not know how long she had to live.
Esther said: “I have joined Dignitas.
“I have in my brain thought, ‘Well, if the next scan says nothing’s working I might buzz off to Zurich,’ but, you know, it puts my family and friends in a difficult position because they would want to go with me.
“And that means that the police might prosecute them.
“So we’ve got to do something.
“At the moment, it’s not really working, is it?”
It has long been a topic of debate whether or not assisted dying should become legal in the UK.
Dame Esther's comments are likely to inspire renewed discussion of the UK's ban on it.
Opening up about her decision to Nick Robinson and Amol Rajan in the podcast, out today, Esther added: “My family say it’s my decision and my choice.
“I explained to them that actually I don’t want their last memories of me to be painful because if you watch someone you love having a bad death, that memory obliterates all the happy times and I don’t want that to happen.
“I don’t want to be that sort of victim in their lives.”
The presenter, who hosted long-running BBC consumer show That’s Life! on the BBC until 1994, said she was waiting to have a brain scan and would make up her mind about when she would go to Dignitas after receiving the results.
She said of her mortality: “I didn’t think I would make it to my birthday (June 22).
“I definitely didn’t think I’d make it to this Christmas, which I am, it appears.”
“Though anything can happen; I live in a forest, a tree can fall on me.
“I’ve got to drop off my perch for some reason, and I’m 83 damn it, so I should be jolly grateful and indeed am.”
It comes as...
Speaking on Good Morning Britain, Esther's daughter Rebecca said: "My mother never makes a decision in complete isolation but doesn't care what anyone else thinks.
"It's horrific and she always promised us she would live forever and she's not one to break her promises - but this is her choice.
"I would want to ground her plane if she was going to Zurich but it's her choice. She is absolutely correct.
"My late father didn't have a good death. It was horrific. His death replaced our memories of him for a very long time.
"That is what mum wants to avoid."
Founded in 1998, over 2,100 people have died with Dignitas' help, in assisted suicides at home or at the society's house near Zürich.
The Swiss society helps members with severe physical or mental illnesses, as well as the terminally ill, to end their own lives.
Members who want an assisted death have to prove that they are of sound judgement, and have to be able to bring about their deaths themselves.
They must submit a formal request, including a letter explaining why they want to die, and have their wishes approved by doctors who aren't part of the organisation.
British patients wishing to die have travelled to Switzerland to pay for an assisted death at one of Dignitas' rented apartments.
Both euthanasia and assisted suicide are illegal in the UK, with euthanasia carrying a maximum penalty of life in jail.
The only exception to this is "passive euthanasia", which involves the withdrawal of treatment to extend someone's life, like a life support machine being turned off.
In Switzerland, active euthanasia is also illegal, although it is not a crime to prescribe lethal drugs, provided the recipient takes an active role in taking them.
Essentially, Swiss law only allows for providing the means to commit suicide, so long as the reasons for doing so aren't selfish.
Dignitas reportedly charges between €4,000 (£3,600) and €7,000 (£6,400) for assisted suicide.
Assisted suicide is illegal in the UK and can result in 14 years in jail for anyone party to it.
The only exception is "passive euthanasia", which is where treatment that might extend someone's life is withdrawn.
A common example of this is a life machine being turned off by doctors or nurses.
The only alternatives for terminally ill patients in the UK are hospice care or refusing treatment, which mentally capable patients have the right to do.
