Miriam Margolyes, 83, opens up about fears for end of life amid health decline
Miriam Margolyes has discussed her worries for the future as she faces the reality of having to be cared for amid her declining health.
Miriam Margolyes has admitted that she is worried for her future as her health struggles continue to take their toll. The Harry Potter actress, 83, struggles with spinal stenosis which causes pain and affects her mobility. She also underwent heart surgery after being rushed to hospital last year.
In a new interview ahead of the release of her new BBC travel series, Miriam explained: “I’m worried that I won’t have enough money for carers when I finally get paralysed or whatever it is that’s going to happen to me.
“I’m saving up cash so that I can pay people to look after me and my partner.
“We don’t have children, so I need to make sure I’m going to be looked after in the way that I’ve become accustomed,” she told Radio Times.
Miriam and her partner Heather Sutherland have been together for around 55 years but live apart.
The popular talk show guest explained that Heather works in the Netherlands while Miriam spends most of her time in London.
Previously speaking about their living arrangements on The Graham Norton Show, Miriam said: “She is in Amsterdam, and I am in London but now we want to live together.
“I really do want to live with her because we are old, and we haven’t got much time left. It is silly to live apart."
While Miriam is determined to work for as long as she can, she says her declining health has impacted her ability to keep going.
She added to Radio Times: “When I started kind of failing physically, I remember saying to directors, ‘Please don’t show me clambering out of a car or climbing upstairs on my hands and knees’.
“I didn’t want people to see that because I was embarrassed to see myself looking so pathetic. But subsequently, I’ve met loads of people who have said I gave them the courage to do things that they never thought they could.”
Miriam's new series, Miriam Margolyes: A New Australian Adventure, will begin on BBC Two on Friday, August 2.
It sees Miriam return to her beloved Aus after her heart procedure as she adapts to the "new Miriam".
It sees her travel the country while meeting the locals and learning more about the culture.
Miriam Margolyes: A New Australian Adventure airs Friday, August 2, on BBC Two at 9pm.
