Miriam Margolyes has shared a heartbreaking update about her health, revealing that she believes she may only have a few years left to live. The actress, 84, who is best known for her role as Professor Sprout in the Harry Potter films, opened up about her health in an interview with The Times.
She said: “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. It’s such a joy. I yearn to play roles that don’t confine me to wheelchairs, but I’m just not strong enough.”
The star from Oxford has struggled with various health issues for years, including spinal stenosis, arthritis, and rheumatism. In 2023 she got aortic valve replacement surgery, which she has said saved her from even more invasive treatments.
“I’ve got a cow’s heart now,” she said during a recent appearance on Jessie and Lennie Ware’s Table Manners podcast. “Well, not the whole heart. I’ve had an aortic valve replaced by a cow’s aortic valve. I don’t know how common it is. I’d never heard of that operation. But it saves you from having open heart surgery, which would be infinitely more invasive.”
Although the procedure was successful, the actress admitted she is often in pain and feels physically limited. Margolyes previously said she has been officially registered as disabled and relies on sticks, a walker, and a mobility scooter.
She told Closer magazine: “I can’t walk very well, and I’m registered disabled. 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.”
Last summer Margolyes made an emotional admission that it might be her last time working at the Edinburgh Fringe. She told the Metro: “I’m often in pain… bodily conditions make life difficult, so it’s unlikely I will do it again. But I love connecting with an audience, and I love sharing my knowledge and love of Dickens.”
She has also spoken about her fears when it comes to needing more intensive care in the future, telling Radio Times she is “worried” she “won’t have enough money for carers” when her health worsens.
On Loose Women, she added: “One day I will need carers. I want to be comfortable and I want them to be properly paid for. It is really because I want to make money though and they pay me to do it.”