Miriam Margolyes says living apart is the key to her successful 54-year relationship.
The 82-year-old 'Harry Potter' star has been with her partner Heather Sutherland, 80, since they met while working on a BBC radio drama together in the late 1960s and the romance is still going strong all more than five decades later - and Miriam says the secret to their success is maintaining independent lives.
In an interview with British Vogue magazine, she explained: "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."
She revealed the couple has never lived together, but they have entered into a civil partnership, adding it is "mostly for legal protection".
However, Miriam insists they have no plans to officially marry because she doesn't like the idea of calling Heather her "wife".
She went on to add: "Gay people have the luck to be able to fashion the relationship they want. It’s much more flexible for us. I think we have more freedom than [straight people] do. Particularly gay boys, they’re always f****** everything. It’s amazing. I don’t know how they get away with it.
"I think gay people are very lucky, because we are not conventional, we are a group slightly apart. It gives us an edge. We’re good artists, we’re good musicians."
Miriam stripped off for the magazine's annual Pride issue – posing naked using a selection of iced buns to cover her privates. She also talked about her body image issues, confessing: "I like my face. I think my face is kind and warm and open and smiley. But I hate my body. I hate big t*** (and) a drooping belly, little twisted legs. I’m not thrilled with that. But you just make the best of it. You have to. You do the best you can.”
