Miriam Margolyes has announced plans to move in with her partner Heather Sutherland, 54 years into their relationship. The 82-year-old actor revealed her decision on The Graham Norton Show, saying: 'We are together, but we live apart. She is in Amsterdam, and I am in London, but now we want to live together.'
Margolyes met Sutherland in 1969 while working on a BBC radio drama. The couple have maintained a long-distance relationship ever since, with Margolyes living in London and Sutherland in Amsterdam. The actor explained: 'I really do want to live with her because we are old, and we haven’t got much time left. It is silly to live apart.'
Earlier this year, Margolyes credited their separate living arrangements as key to their relationship's success. Speaking to Vogue, she said: 'We were able to lead our lives without diminishing them. I didn’t want her to have to give up anything. And I didn’t want to give up anything. I wanted my cake and I wanted to eat it too. And so far, it’s worked.'
The Harry Potter star also reflected on the freedom she believes gay people have in defining their relationships. 'Gay people have the luck to be able to fashion the relationship they want. It’s much more flexible for us,' she said.
Margolyes recently released her second memoir, Oh Miriam! Stories from an Extraordinary Life, following the success of This Much is True. In the book, she recalls an awkward moment on The Graham Norton Show with the late Matthew Perry, where she asked him if he was an alcoholic. She later wrote: 'On reflection, I really wish I hadn’t.'
