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Edinburgh Live
04-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Live
Joanna Lumley says she doesn't have 'all that time left' as she opens up
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Actress and comedian Joanna Lumley, 79, has shared her candid thoughts on ageing, revealing that her awareness of time passing only fuels her vitality. The esteemed star also confessed to frequently pondering her own mortality, stating in a My Weekly interview: "As you near the top of the hill you suddenly think, 'Gosh, there's not all that amount of time left'," and adding, "All kinds of my beloved friends are beginning to leave." This acute awareness of life's fleeting nature drives Joanna to make the most of her time on this planet. With her contagious enthusiasm, she remains active in the entertainment industry, recently impressing audiences in the BBC comedy series Amandaland and gracing Netflix drama Fool Me Once in 2024. READ MORE - Brooklyn Beckham's heartbreakingly 'sad' reason for feud with David and Victoria READ MORE - BBC's iconic snooker commentator's colourful past as house repossessed and addiction In addition, her new ITV travel series follows her epic 1,770-mile journey along the majestic River Danube. Despite her remarkable career, Joanna has long navigated the challenges of prosopagnosia, a condition hindering facial recognition, which she once disclosed to Vernon Kay on BBC 2: "I've got this weird thing with faces, I've got a face blindness," and further clarified on the Tracks of My Years podcast, "It's called prosopagnosia. "I have to know who people are, I have to know in advance. I always say, 'Please tell me who's going to be there', then I can match the name to the thing. I mean, lots of people say, 'Oh, but you meet so many people', it's not to do with that, it's completely different from that.", reports Surrey Live. "It's followed me and I never knew what it was. And I'd try a test. I'd look at somebody and then I would shut my eyes and see if I could see their face in my head. And I couldn't." The NHS describes prosopagnosia as an often more complex condition than simply not recognising faces – it can extend to difficulty discerning gender, age, and even recognising other objects like cars or animals. Sadly, no cure exists, but becoming attuned to unique attributes can help individuals cope with it. The NHS advises, "You'll still see the parts of a face normally, but all faces may look the same to you," adding that "It affects people differently. Some people may not be able to tell the difference between strangers or people they do not know well. Others may not recognise the faces of friends and family, or even their own face." Despite the challenges of prosopagnosia, Joanna hasn't let this define her. At 79, she has adorned our screens with her talent, marking an illustrious career with memorable roles across television series like The New Avengers and Sapphire and Steel to beloved shows such as Absolutely Fabulous, Finding Alice, and Motherland. In the 1960s, she was famously one of Ken Barlow's initial love interests in Coronation Street. She also had a stint on the silver screen, working with none other than Leonardo DiCaprio in The Wolf of Wall Street. Outside her acting career, Joanna is wed to Stephen Barlow, a conductor aged 70. She relishes a fulfilling family life as the doting mother of Jamie, who is 57, and a grandmother to Alice, 22, and Emily, 21.
Wales Online
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
Joanna Lumley says 'I don't have much longer' after personal tragedies
Joanna Lumley says 'I don't have much longer' after personal tragedies Joanna Lumley admits she thinks about death a lot as many of her friends have passed away - but the Absolutely Fabulous star says getting older has made her more energetic Joanna Lumley admits she spends a lot of time thinking about her own mortality (Image: Getty Images ) Dame Joanna Lumley admits "there's not a lot of time left" as she reflects on her own mortality. The 78-year-old actor and comedian admits she spends a lot of time thinking about growing older. Speaking to the Mirror, she explained it comes after losing a number of people close to her. Joanna said: "All kinds of my beloved friends are beginning to leave. My time must be coming quite soon and I don't want to have wasted a minute of being on this beautiful planet." Despite acknowledging her mortality, Joanna's schedule remains bustling with impressive projects. In 2023, she graced screens in BBC's Amandaland, and in 2024 she appeared in Netflix's critically-acclaimed drama Fool Me Once. Her penchant for adventure recently led her to helm an ITV travel series journeying along the 1,770-mile length of the River Danube. Joanna says she "always knew" good projects would come along as she got older, reports Gloucestershire Live. Joanna Lumley says she thinks a lot about mortality (Image: Getty ) Article continues below In a chat with My Weekly, Joanna confidently shares her evolution from restless youth to a poised elder: "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." Furthermore, she offers a stark insight to today's youth about the pitfalls of technology, cautioning that the omnipresence of social media might impair their social skills. Joanna still looks fabulous at the age of 78 (Image: Getty ) Joanna stressed the importance of self-reflection for the younger generation, saying: "My big message to the young that you need time in your head. I'm so afraid we're going to breed a generation who don't know the world and don't know how to talk." Article continues below The actress's glittering career on screen includes roles in timeless classics such as The New Avengers and Sapphire and Steel, cult favourite Absolutely Fabulous, alongside newer hits like Finding Alice and Motherland. Her journey into the spotlight began in the 60s with her role on Coronation Street as one of Ken Barlow's earliest girlfriends. Her ventures into film have placed her alongside stars like Leonardo DiCaprio in The Wolf of Wall Street and in family favourite Paddington 2. Acknowledged for her contribution to drama, entertainment, and charity work, Joanna was appointed a Dame in 2022. Away from the screen, Joanna is married to conductor Stephen Barlow, 70. She is a devoted mum to son Jamie, 57, and she has two granddaughters, Alice, 22, and Emily, 21.
