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Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Joanna Lumley reveals plan to celebrate her 80th birthday
Dame Joanna Lumley will not host a big birthday party to celebrate turning 80. The former 'Absolutely Fabulous' star reaches the milestone age on May 1, 2026, but Lumley doesn't enjoy a huge fuss on her birthday and will instead hope she will be working when her big day comes around. Speaking to the new issue of Closer magazine, she said: "When I was growing up, I was always at school for birthdays. Always at school. So, we never did stuff. The idea of birthday parties repels me. Not because of anything, I just don't know why you would ever do it. "I love having birthdays, but the idea of doing a big party to say, 'Me, I'm 112.' Why would you do that? Or, 'Me, because I'm 57.' Why have that, why have a party? So, on my big special day, fingers crossed I'll be working. It's always good to be working on your birthday." Luckily for Lumley she has plenty of acting roles and TV jobs. The British screen icon has earned critical acclaim for her performance as Felicity Sanderson, the mother of Lucy Punch's character Amanda Hughes in BBC sitcom 'Amandaland' - which is a spin-off of the successful comedy series 'Motherland'. Lumley admits it is a role she is very proud of. She said: "I love 'Amandaland'. I love Lucy's character - I love them all, actually. It's beautifully cast." Lumley and Lucy previously worked together on 2004 film 'Ella Enchanted' and she has fond memories of that shoot. Jonna added: "She played my daughter before. We did a film together in Ireland with Anne Hathaway playing the Cinderella figure. Lucy was playing one of the bad stepsisters and I was the evil stepmother. This is how life goes on - I'm now her evil mother! Not evil, Felicity is not evil." Lumley has also become a prominent travel documentary maker in recent years and in her latest ITV travel series 'Joanna Lumley's Danube', she travels 1,770 miles along the River Danube. visiting Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania and taking a detour to the Ukrainian border before reaching her final destination the Black Sea. Whilst she was in Romania the former 'Absolutely Fabulous' star spent time with a group of white witches and after taking part in the ceremony Lumley was presented with an amulet which she was told would keep her safe on her trip. In a previous interview with the Daily Express Saturday magazine, she said: "They work with the elements - earth, air, water, fire - to bring peace and ward off negativity. "They were so glamorous. They used masses of candles for their ceremony. The camera boys nearly died from the heat. Then they gave me an amulet to take me safely on the rest of my journey."
Metro
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Joanna Lumley says she 'doesn't have much time left' after tragic loss
Joanna Lumley has admitted her 'time must be coming quite soon' after several of her friends died. The actress and presenter is best known for playing Patsy Stone in the BBC sitcom Absolutely Fabulous from 1992 until 2012, a role that also saw her win two Baftas. Other notable projects include James and the Giant Peach, Ella Enchanted and The Wolf of Wall Street. However, the 78-year-old has now spoken about her mortality. In a new interview Joanna revealed that several of her 'beloved friends are beginning to leave'. 'As you near the top of the hill you suddenly think, 'Gosh, there's not all that amount of time left',' she said. 'My time must be coming quite soon, and I don't want to have wasted a minute of being on this beautiful planet.' Speaking to My Weekly she also urged young people to worry less, adding: 'I used to panic when I was young, but as I've got older I've started literally to live day to day. 'With age, you work out what matters. I 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, longed to be 50. We mustn't be led into thinking getting old is bad. Growing old is good.' She also shared a 'big message' to younger generations about the impact of social media and said people 'need time in your head', before saying she was 'so afraid we're going to breed a generation who don't know the world and don't know how to talk'. Joanna's most recent screen roles have been in Fool Me Once, Amandaland, the upcoming third season of Wednesday and the travel series Joanna Lumley's Danube. Speaking to Metro in 2022, she spoke about delaying retirement. More Trending 'I will slow down when my body slows down and the jobs slow down — when everybody says, 'Can we have this show but without Joanna Lumley in it?' Then there'll be more books to read and a bit more pottering in the garden,' she said. 'But you mustn't ever see these things as a setback. You have to see it as a new opportunity.' Away from the screen, Joanna is married to conductor Stephen Barlow, 70 and is mother to son Jamie, 57. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you.
