Miriam Margolyes has opened up about her ongoing health challenges, revealing she “can’t walk very well” .
The 84-year-old actress, who is currently starring in Holy Days alongside Judy Davis and Jacki Weaver, spoke about the support she received on set.
“I will say that, for this film, Elijah was a sweetheart, and he was very caring with me,” she told Original Cin, referring to her younger co-star Elijah Tamati.
“I’m in my 80s, and I can’t walk very well, and I’m old and fat, and reaching the car door was difficult, and winding the windows up and down was hard.
The British star has battled a number of health issues in recent years, including spinal stenosis and osteoporosis, and underwent heart surgery to replace her aortic valve.
By 2024, she said her mobility had declined significantly.
“I can’t walk very well, and I’m registered disabled,” she told Closer magazine at the time. “I use all kinds of assistance. I’ve got two sticks and a walker and they’re such a bore, but I’ve just got a mobility scooter, which is a lot of fun.”
Despite the challenges, Miriam has continued to speak candidly about her health.
“I’ve let my body down. I haven’t taken care of it. I have to walk with a walker now,” she told Weekend Magazine in 2025. “I wish I’d done exercise. It’s the most ghastly waste of time, except that it keeps you going. So, I’m foolish.”
She has also reflected openly on ageing and what lies ahead.
“When you know that you haven’t got long to live – and I’m probably going to die within the next five or six years, if not before – I’m loath to leave behind performing,” she previously told The Times.
“It’s such a joy. I yearn to play roles that don’t confine me to wheelchairs, but I’m just not strong enough.”
While she once felt self-conscious about her physical decline, Margolyes says speaking about it has helped her.
“When I started kind of failing physically, I remember saying to directors and producers, please don’t show me struggling,” she told Radio Times.
“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.”
