Dame Joanna Lumley admits she’s nearing the end of her life: ‘Not much time left’
Joanna turned 79 last week
6 May 2025, 15:50
Tags: Entertainment, Joanna Lumley
Iconic actress Dame Joanna Lumley admitted she “doesn’t have much time left” soon after celebrating her 79th birthday.
Since carving out a hugely successful career in the late 1960s, Joanna has remained a prominent face in acting. Last year, she debuted her role as Judith Burkett in Netflix’s Fool Me Once, where she starred alongside Michelle Keegan.
With a career that continues to reach new heights, Joanna will portray Grandmama Eudora Addams in the highly anticipated second series of Wednesday.
However, while Joanna’s work hasn’t slowed down, she realises she’s a lot older than she once was.
Joanna Lumley says her ‘time must be coming quite soon’
During a new interview with Vernon Kay for his BBC Radio 2 show, Joanna told him: “As you nearly the top of the hill, you suddenly think, ‘Gosh, there’s not all that much time left.’” Joanna turned 79 on May 1.
She continued: “My time must be coming quite soon, and I don’t want to have wasted a minute of being on this beautiful planet. I used to panic when I was young, but as I’ve got older, I’ve started to live day to day.”
Joanna stated that she works out “what matters” with age, stating she “always knew that good stuff would come along when I was older.”
“When I was 18, I longed to be 30. When I was 30, I longed to be 50. We mustn’t be led into thinking getting old is bad. Growing old is good.”
‘I’ve started to live day to day’
This isn’t the only time Joanna has opened up about ageing. During an interview with Woman & Home earlier this year, the Ab Fab star admitted she used to worry about getting older.
“I used to panic and get rattled when I was young, but as I’ve got older, I’ve started literally to live day to day,” she said.
However, Joanna’s realised there is a real sense of freedom as you age.
“I’ve got lots of good friends, I could have affairs. I can read a book all night, put the cat on the end of the bed or I can pick up my passport and go to France. I don’t have to ask anybody,” she added.
