Miriam Margolyes has taken a swipe at Australia and revealed the one thing she doesn’t like about the country.
The British actress, 83, has held a longtime love of Australia and has filmed many programs Down Under, the most recent being her 2024 documentary Impossibly Australian.
Her partner of 57 years Heather Sunderland is Australian and Miriam has become a citizen of the country, and has a home in the NSW Southern Highlands.
However, Miriam has revealed what she really thinks about Australia and why her ‘allegiance’ to the country has changed recently.
Speaking on KIIS FM’s Kyle and Jackie O Show, she shared: ‘I love Australia, I think it’s a fabulous country. I think it’s going a bit wonky at the moment, like the rest of the world.
‘But no, I do care about it. And I am an Australian citizen. I became a citizen because my partner is Australian, and I wanted to be ever closer to Australia.
Miriam Margolyes has taken a swipe at Australia and revealed the one thing she doesn’t like about the country
‘But now I think my allegiance has slipped slightly and gone to New Zealand.’
Miriam also revealed the one thing she doesn’t like about Australia as she quipped that the manners are ‘f**king terrible’ when asked by host Jackie ‘O’ Henderson.
The Harry Potter star, famed for playing Professor Sprout, also got in a political row with Kyle Sandilands as she shared her thoughts on US President Donald Trump.
Responding to her remarks about New Zealand, Kyle replied: ‘It’s like Trump says about Canada.
‘New Zealand’s pretty much another state of Australia anyway, so I totally get it. I get what you love about it.’
However, Miriam passionately hit back with: ‘Don’t ”let’s talk” about lumps of orange turd. I can’t bear it,’ as she made her feelings about Trump very clear.
Shock jock Kyle then replied: ‘Oh, don’t tell me you’re one of these fools that don’t understand he’s going to bring greatness. You’re not.
‘Oh, you’ve been you’ve been twisted by the Whoopi Goldberg’s of the world. What a shame.’
The British actress, 83, has held a longtime love of Australia and is a citizen of the country as her partner of 57 years, Heather Sutherland, is Australian
To which Miriam hilariously replied: ‘I wouldn’t mind being twisted by Whoopi Goldberg!’
Elsewhere in the interview, Miriam also gave a very rare insight into her 57-year relationship with her historian partner Heather, who she keeps out of the public eye.
Kyle asked Miriam what the secret to a long and lasting relationship is and asked how they don’t ‘grow tired’ of each other.
The Call the Midwife star replied that not living together is how they keep their romance alive, with the couple instead speaking on the phone every day.
‘I think that you have to be honourable and have integrity and not just want to f**k,’ she went on.
‘You know, I just I think you concentrate on the person. And after a lifetime together, you realise how lucky you are to have found somebody so special. And I really do feel that.’
Miriam became an Australian citizen in 2013 and shares a holiday home with Heather called Yarrawa Hill in the Southern Highlands, which they rent out when not in use.
The couple usually spend time together at their respective homes in Italy, London, Tuscany and Australia, and only see each other about eight times a year.
However, Miriam (pictured in August) has revealed that her relationship with Australia has not been plain-sailing and said she believes the country has gone ‘wonky’ recently
The couple first met in 1967 while working together on a BBC radio drama after Miriam graduated from her studies at the University of Cambridge.
They have been together ever since and Miriam gushed over their partnership in her 2021 autobiography, This Much Is True.
‘We have been together for 53 years. It is a big achievement,’ she penned at the time.
‘An academic and a Scholar, Heather is my polar opposite: reticent, incredibly private and reserved.’
Heather is an Australian historian and former professor at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in the Netherlands.
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