The first woman to be appointed chair of the BBC Trust today revealed she relied on the corporation to be a "companion" during her treatment for breast cancer.
In her first speech in the role, Rona Fairhead called for a "proper public debate" about the BBC's future ahead of the renewal of the charter in 2016.
Fairhead, who battled breast cancer towards the end of her stint as chief executive of the Financial Times, told of the "hugely important" role the BBC played in her life.
Speaking at the Royal Television Society, she said: "The BBC was also my companion when I was treated for cancer.
"I understood then what the BBC means to people who are housebound. When I was too ill to go out - too ill to do anything - it was the BBC that kept me in touch with the outside world, that offered entertainment and that gave me comfort.
"So I believe passionately in the BBC," she added.
The Trust is expected to publish research by polling company ICM which found that 83 per cent of licence fee payers agree that the BBC's impartiality and independence are important.
The Royal Charter, which is due for renewal in 2016 and relies on agreement with the government, is an opportunity for a wide-ranging debate on the corporation's future, Fairhead said.
"This will be a very real debate about the future, size and shape of the BBC," she told an audience in London.
"And I believe it needs to be a proper public debate, not one conducted by a small elite."
She added: "I believe the debate must include the voices of all the people out there who pay for the BBC, who love its programmes, who are its true owners."
Fairhead, 53, was selected to be the BBC's first female chair last summer and took office in October.
