Rantzen recently fronted TV's Old Dogs, New Tricks

Rantzen, whose screen career saw her fronting the popular TV show That's Life!, received her award at Buckingham Palace from the Prince of Wales.

The 66-year-old, who has worked in television for over 40 years, described the award as a "tremendous honour".

Rantzen set up Childline, the national 24-hour helpline for children in danger or distress, in 1986.

"Obviously there's a huge army of people who have provided services to children," said Rantzen, adding that her 40-year career in television had enabled her to raise public awareness.

Talk show

Childline, which joined forces with the NSPCC earlier this year, receives more than 4,500 calls each day.

"We've got to get to the stage where we can answer every child."

"If a child is desperate to reach us, then our nightmare is that they might not try again."

Rantzen became a household name on BBC consumer programme That's Life!, which ran for 21 years.

"It was extraordinary because we could cover the whole range from talking dogs to saving lives of patients who needed transplants," said Rantzen.