Actress Miriam Margolyes opened up about a significant change in her relationship, after spending most of it living apart from her partner
Miriam Margolyes hopes to finally move in with her partner(Image: PA)
Miriam Margolyes has revealed she’s making an “important” change to her long-standing relationship with partner Heather Sutherland. The 84-year-old and her Australian other half, who formalised their civil partnership in 2013, have spent 58 years together, though have never lived under the same roof permanently.
Miriam is based in London and Heather calls the Dutch capital of Amsterdam home, but the pair make every effort to maximise their time together.
Though their professional commitments have kept them geographically separated, the actress has now disclosed her desire for them to finally settle down as a couple.
She revealed: “I believe that but now I want to be with her, now I want us to live together. We are definitely going to.
“We were both very involved with our careers, we were both professional women, she was a professor at a university, teaching and writing and I was an actress and now I make television programmes, as a documentary maker,” she added.
“But, we are old and we won’t have much longer, it’s important to be together to relish the joy of each other’s company.”
The Call The Midwife favourite became even more effusive when describing her “overwhelmingly glorious” partner, admitting she has never tired of Heather’s presence.
During an appearance on the Comfort Eating with Grace Dent podcast, she continued: “I have never thought that she wasn’t sufficient, she is more than sufficient.
“She is overwhelmingly glorious and loveable and much cleverer than me, much, and I think that’s important.
“I don’t want to be the clever one,” the actress concluded. The pair are believed to have first crossed paths through a mutual friend while collaborating on a BBC radio drama during the 1960s.
In the following decade, they purchased a property together in Italy, where they frequently retreat and aspire to make their permanent home.
The Made Me Me star disclosed last year that she’d been dividing more of her time between countries to see Heather, though she must “come home every so often” due to visa restrictions.
Following Brexit, British citizens can stay in the Schengen Area for up to 90 days in any 180-day period without a visa or residence permit.
“So I’m thinking I might have to become Dutch,” she told the Daily Mail. “Heather has residency in Europe because she’s lived in Amsterdam for over 50 years, but we want to be together.”
Miriam returns to television this evening with her latest BBC programme, which evolved from what was originally conceived as a podcast into a full documentary.
A film crew shadows the performer as she documents her everyday life and career, from travelling between London and Australia and reconnecting with long-time friends to taking to the stage and even experiencing a royal encounter.
Miriam Margolyes Made Me Me airs tonight at 9pm on BBC Two