Miriam Margolyes has opened up about her one act of self-restraint when meeting the Royal Family at Buckingham Palace — in a candid chat about her extraordinary career
In what stands as one of the most eclectic careers in entertainment history, Miriam Margolyes has secured a BAFTA for her performance in a major drama production, lent her voice to an erotic audiobook, and brought to life the iconic Cadbury’s Caramel bunny.
The late Queen Elizabeth II personally presented Miriam with her Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) honour at Buckingham Palace in the 2002 New Year Honours, recognising her Services to Drama.
Yet beyond her impressive collection of acting accolades, Miriam has cultivated a reputation for her unfiltered candour, making her a beloved fixture on television chat shows. She is believed to have been the first person – and undoubtedly the first woman – to utter the word “f***” on British television during a University Challenge appearance in 1963.
True to her direct and uninhibited character, Miriam maintains a policy of following her natural bodily urges regardless of her surroundings or company: “We did it at home,” she revealed to Grace Dent on her Comfort Eating podcast. “Mummy farted, Daddy farted. I farted…we just did”
She disclosed that throughout her lengthy life, there has been just one instance where she exercised restraint: “When I was at Buckingham Palace, I held it in,” she confessed, before noting: “It’s not fair. You can’t put the Royals through that..”
Notwithstanding various health challenges, the 84-year-old performer displays minimal indication of winding down. Her latest project, the poignant drama Friend of Dorothy, earned an Academy Award nomination this year, though it ultimately fell just short of securing the Best Short Film Oscar.
Despite grappling with several significant health challenges, Miriam maintains a remarkably vibrant lifestyle. In recent times, she has fronted television travel documentaries exploring diverse locations including Ireland, New Zealand and Australia.
The star battles both spinal stenosis and osteoarthritis, conditions which have considerably limited her movement. She has also opened up about her decision to receive a bovine heart valve rather than a porcine one when she underwent cardiac surgery in 2023.
Miriam takes great pride in her Jewish roots and continues to observe certain religious customs, particularly her abstinence from pork products: “I’ll eat anything, darling, except from the pig,” she confided to Grace Dent.
“I won’t have anything from the pig. When I had a new valve in my heart, they offered me a pig’s or a cow’s. And I said, no, it has to be a cow. I’m sorry.”
Yet despite these medical setbacks, she remains remarkably active professionally. Miriam also enjoys the flexibility of occasionally working from the comfort of her own home.
She frequently creates personalised videos via celebrity platform Cameo, and delights in recounting the peculiar nature of some requests: “Very often they want me to fart,” she disclosed.
“I have to try and explain that I haven’t got them stored, you know, if they’re there, they’re there and I’m happy to share. But otherwise, tough s***, you know.”
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