Entertainment
Miriam Margolyes frustrated as she desperately waits for Covid-19 vaccine in Italy: ‘It’s entirely the government’s fault’
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Miriam Margolyes has expressed her frustration over not having the coronavirus vaccine yet while abroad in Italy.
On Thursday’s edition of This Morning, Harry Potter star Miriam joined Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield via video chat to discuss her upcoming film H is for Happiness, in which she plays a quirky teacher called Miss Bamford.
The actor told the presenting duo that she was speaking to them from a house in Tuscany that she, her partner and a friend bought in 1973.
Explaining that they refurbished the ‘run-down farmhouse’, Miriam said she is ‘so happy here’, describing it as a ‘great place to escape from Covid, so far, we hope’.
She then added: ‘But I haven’t had a vaccine, because there’s all this trouble with vaccines. Entirely the government’s fault, of course.’
Phillip asked Miriam whether she was referring to the British or Italian government, ‘because of course we know that the AstraZeneca jab is safe and the blood clotting thing was sort of all a myth, but a lot of Europe paused its vaccination and fell into that trap’, adding: ‘Is that why you haven’t been vaccinated over there?’
‘That’s right,’ she confirmed. ‘I’m trying to get one. I have to curry favour, let’s put it like that.
‘In fact, the Italian government says that everybody in Italy is supposed to be vaccinated. So eventually I’ll get one. But I want to get back, because I’m going to be on Call the Midwife, I hope.’
Miriam made her first appearance on BBC One’s Call the Midwife in 2018, playing the role of Mother Mildred.
During her interview with Holly and Phillip, Miriam stressed how ‘maddening’ she has found it being apart from her partner of 53 years, Heather Sutherland.
‘She’s stuck in Amsterdam, having a cataract operation, and I’m here just sort of sitting in the sun and enjoying myself and missing her very much actually,’ Miriam said.
‘Because when you get to my age… you know I’m going to be 80 in two months, and you know you haven’t got long left you’ve got to make the most of it.’
At this statement, Holly replied: ‘Don’t say that!’, before adding that it’s ‘extraordinary’ Miriam is going to be turning 80 in May.
This Morning airs weekdays at 10am on ITV.
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