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<\/p>\nAhead of her birthday Dame Joanna Lumley has spoken about the key to her successful career and personal relationships as fans also chipped in to celebrate the major milestone<\/p>\n
A neighour of Dame Joanna Lumley has spoken about her(Image: Getty)<\/p>\n
A neighbour of Dame Joanna Lumley<\/a> has spoken about what the Absolutely Fabulous star is like when she says hello.<\/p>\n Sending a message into Vernon Kay\u2019s BBC Radio 2<\/a> show on Monday, gardener Heather told Vernon that Joanna, who turns 80 today (May 1), is very polite when she is waved at in south London.<\/p>\n She told the BBC presenter<\/a>: \u201cShe lives round the corner from me in London. When she walks along our street, I always give her a wave and say \u2018hello\u2019. She always responds with a wave and a dazzling smile. Tremendous human being. Says Heather the Gardener.\u201d<\/p>\n In response, Vernon said: \u201cShe has that hazy aura around her, you know what I mean? She was extremely courteous when she came in and did Tracks Of My Years. Very nice and always interested in you as opposed to \u2018I\u2019m Joanna Lumley\u2019. Fabulous.\u201d<\/p>\n As Joanna approaches her 80th birthday, she has been reflecting on her career to date, which has spanned multiple decades and seen her appear in a wide range of roles and formats.<\/p>\n As well as the aforementioned Absolutely Fabulous, she has also appeared in Wednesday, The Wolf of Wall Street, James and the Giant Peach, Coronation Street<\/a>, and Ella Enchanted.<\/p>\n Dame Joanna Lumley(Image: ITV)<\/p>\n Furthermore, she has appeared in the James Bond film On Her Majesty\u2019s Secret Service, and has also featured on Channel 4<\/a> programmes such as Car SOS.<\/p>\n Speaking to The Telegraph ahead of her birthday, Dame Joanna<\/a> said she was happy to still be working, but stressed that people were making a bigger deal of it than she felt they should.<\/p>\n She explained: \u201cIt\u2019s extraordinary, isn\u2019t it? I\u2019ve been saying I\u2019m 80 for the last two or three years because I thought I was, but I wasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople are making a big hoo-ha about this 80, as if I\u2019m somehow going to be different, as if some huge precipice is being reached. I\u2019ll be working on my birthday. I\u2019m thrilled and I\u2019m touched that people have remembered and think about it more than I do.\u201d<\/p>\n On how she keeps herself going, Dame Joanna told The i that one of her secrets to her continued career is a lack of certainty.<\/p>\n Dame Joanna Lumley(Image: BBC)<\/p>\n She said: \u201cHaving no certainty keeps you vibrant and engaged. You\u2019re always trying something new.\u201d<\/p>\n As well as talking about her career, Joanna has also opened up about her life with her husband Stephen Barlow<\/a> as the pair prepare to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary.<\/p>\n Speaking to Yours magazine, she said the key to their long marriage was doing separate things. She explained: \u201cI go off on trips and I do stuff and film. He goes off and does operas and things.<\/p>\n![\"Joanna](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/0_Screenshot-2025-07-30-121424.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Joanna](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/0_Screenshot-2025-10-02-195414.jpg\")
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