Miriam Margolyes is known for her unfiltered approach to any subject, which clearly extends to more serious issues.
The Bafta winner is currently in Edinburgh where her show Margolyes & Dickens: The Best Bits is on at the Fringe Festival.
During a conversation published in the Daily Record over the weekend, Miriam was asked for her views on a bill put forward by Liam McArthur, seeking to legalise assisted dying for terminally ill adults in Scotland deemed sufficiently “mentally competent”.
Sharing her “strong” support for McArthur’s bill, Miriam – who is actually the patron of the organisation My Death My Decision – explained: “I am 83, death is the next big thing and I want to protect myself and my partner.
“It is each person’s right to choose death if they wish but protection must be laid into the legislation to protect the person who wishes to die and the person assisting them.
“It is always better to choose life if you can. It is not always possible to choose death.”
Miriam also said she would consider assisted dying for herself if she were diagnosed with a condition that “prevented me from communicating”.
The former Harry Potter actor is one of a handful of public figures who have voiced their support for the legalisation of assisted dying for the terminally ill.
Esther Rantzen – who is currently undergoing treatment for lung cancer – said last year: “If you watch someone you love having a bad death, that memory obliterates all the happy times.”
She also disclosed that she has joined the organisation Dignitas, and “might buzz off to Zurich” should her cancer treatment prove ineffective.
Last year, Bake Off judge Prue Leith also shared a heartbreaking story that led to her becoming a supporter of assisted dying.
Dame Diana Rigg’s views on the subject were also made public after her death in 2020, while Richard Madeley said as far back as 2014 that he and wife Judy Finnigan would help one another die if they became seriously ill.
“If Judy was really ill and in logical mind, and at that point where you just need a little push to go over the edge, I wouldn’t give a tuppenny fuck if there was a risk of being prosecuted,” he said at the time.
Meanwhile, Silent Witness star Liz Carr explored the issue at length in her documentary Better Off Dead, which is still available to stream on BBC iPlayer.