Veteran actress Miriam Margolyes, best known to many as Professor Sprout in the Harry Potter franchise, has spoken movingly about her deteriorating health and approaching mortality, revealing she likely has only a few years left to live.
In a recent interview with The Times, the 84-year-old star discussed her decision to step away from the big screen, admitting that her body is no longer strong enough to perform the roles she once loved.
“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 loathe to leave behind performing,” she said. “It’s such a joy. I yearn to play roles that don’t confine me to wheelchairs, but I’m just not strong enough.”
Margolyes has been increasingly open about her health challenges in recent years. In 2023, during an appearance on the Table Manners podcast, she revealed she had undergone heart surgery, receiving a cow’s aortic valve to replace her own. “I don’t know how common it is. I’d never heard of that operation,” she said. “But it saves you from having open-heart surgery, which would be infinitely more invasive.”
She later told British Vogue that her perspective on death had changed with age. “When you’re young, you never think about death. You just think about your next f**k, basically,” she joked. “I think about death a lot. You can’t help but be aware that the amount of time ahead is less than the time before you.”
Despite the seriousness of her condition, Margolyes maintains her trademark wit and philosophical outlook. “I’m still ducking and diving. I’m still open to new experiences. I’m just very conscious that there is no light at the end of the tunnel.”
In 2024, Margolyes publicly disclosed she is living with spinal stenosis, a painful and debilitating condition that has severely impacted her mobility. “I’m registered disabled. I use all kinds of assistance,” she shared with Closer Magazine. “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.”
The Age of Innocence actress also acknowledged her financial worries, saying her biggest fear is outliving her resources. Yet, through it all, she remains strong, funny and honest – qualities that have endeared her to fans for decades.
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