Dame Joanna Lumley, 80, has revealed that a dietary change she made decades ago is the reason she rarely feels ill. The Absolutely Fabulous star has credited cutting meat and fish from her diet with helping her avoid feeling ill for decades.
A lifelong vegetarian choice
In a 2021 interview with Woman's Way magazine, Lumley explained her approach to health and youthful energy. She stated: "I've been a vegetarian for more than 40 years and I'm never ill. The diet I love best is: eat stuff, mostly vegetables, not too much."
Lumley has been vegetarian since the late 1970s, long before the UK's plant-based scene became as widespread as it is today. She has insisted it was never about being perfect and has admitted the choice was initially difficult when people did not understand or accommodate her dietary needs as they do now.
Dairy is the one exception
She has also spoken about her love of raw salads and small, vegetable-packed plates rather than heavy dinners. During an episode of Waitrose's Dish podcast, hosted by Radio DJ Nick Grimshaw and celebrity chef Angela Hartnett, Lumley admitted there is one line she will not cross: she cannot give up dairy because she is far too fond of cheese.
Her early days of going meat-free were less glamorous than her red-carpet image suggests. She has joked that baffled hosts would "panic-cook" and serve dense, eggy lasagnes that felt like edible building blocks. Now, she says, it is a different world, with meat-free options everywhere and people far more used to catering for vegetarians. Lumley has said she is genuinely touched when someone makes the effort to put a veggie meal on the table, because she remembers how awkward it used to be.
Health benefits and expert warnings
Experts say plant-heavy diets can bring real health benefits, including lowering the risk of heart disease, some cancers and type 2 diabetes. They also point to the skin-friendly vitamins and nutrients in fruit and vegetables, plus the fact that swapping heavy meals for lighter choices can help some people lose weight. Science shows that loading up on raw salads delivers powerful plant chemicals called polyphenols straight to the skin, which can help protect cells from damage while keeping obesity at bay.
However, specialists also warn that going meat-free does not automatically make you immune to every cold and flu. To keep the body functioning properly, they say vegetarians still need a balanced diet that covers key nutrients.
Face blindness condition
Lumley also has prosopagnosia, a brain condition that makes it hard for her to recognise faces she knows, often called face blindness. Discussing the condition with Vernon Kay on BBC Radio 2, she shared: "I've got this weird thing with faces, I’ve got face blindness. It's called Prosopagnosia."
