Miriam Margolyes says she regrets not taking better care of her health when she was younger.
“I wish I’d done exercise. It’s the most ghastly waste of time, except that it keeps you going,” she said.
The “Harry Potter” actor said she “would ask to be put down” if she ever became unable to care for herself.
Miriam Margolyes, known for playing herbology expert Professor Sprout in the “Harry Potter” franchise, is opening up about the realities of growing old.
In an interview with the Daily Mail’s Weekend Magazine that was published on Friday, Margolyes, 84, said she should have done more for her health when she was younger.
“I’ve let my body down. I haven’t taken care of it. I have to walk with a walker now. I wish I’d done exercise. It’s the most ghastly waste of time, except that it keeps you going. So, I’m foolish,” Margolyes told the Daily Mail.
When asked if she considered using Ozempic, the actor was firm in her refusal.
“Absolutely not. That’s for diabetics. You shouldn’t take medicine meant for people who are really sick. What I do think is we should not have food advertising on television,” Margolyes said.
She also said she’d be open to assisted dying should she lose her ability to live independently.
“I don’t want to go through a slowly diminishing period of pain and embarrassment. If a stroke meant I couldn’t speak, or I was doubly incontinent, or I lost my mind completely, I would ask to be put down. That’s because I want to be who I am. I don’t want to be less than I can be,” she said.
The BAFTA award-winning actor has long been open about her health struggles.
In 2017, she told The Guardian she feels “more fragile” as she grows older.
“So far, I’ve never broken a bone, but I’m very conscious that, because I have osteoporosis, it could happen if I fall. I think that’s one of the things that happens to you as you get older — you feel more fragile. I hate that,” Margolyes said.
In 2023, she said spinal stenosis was affecting her mobility.
“I do feel a waning of powers. I’ve got spinal stenosis so I can’t walk properly, and many of my dear friends have died, so I’m conscious of time running out,” she told The Guardian.
During a 2023 appearance on the “How to Fail” podcast, Margolyes said her “greed and lack of discipline” led to her bad health.
“I’ve limited my life because of my longing for fudge or yes, chopped liver, cheesecake, all these absurdities. I shouldn’t have been so greedy. I should have been stronger,” she told podcast host Elizabeth Day.
A representative for Margolyes did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent by Business Insider outside regular hours.
In 2024, six health and fitness experts told Business Insider that five simple habits can help people in their 20s, 30s, and beyond lead a longer and healthier life. These include eating a Mediterranean diet, using sunscreen and retinoids, and getting blood pressure and cholesterol levels checked.
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