Miriam Margolyes has opened up about a health issue she has been dealing with for over four decades. The 84-year-old disclosed that she has a chronic shoulder injury which leaves her unable to put on a bra without assistance.

Reflecting on being filmed in her bra for her latest documentary Miriam Margolyes Made Me Me, she said on The Romesh Ranganathan Show: "I did have that new bra on and it did me the world of good. I need several people to put it on for me and I'm on my own at the moment.

"The problem is, I've got a bad shoulder, I've had it for a long time actually because I didn't know how to fall and I had to fall in a play for six months about 40 years ago, and the rotator cuff doesn't quite cuff or rotate, whatever it should do," she explained.

"So, I can't put my hands behind my back. I can manage with an apron because it's lower down, but with a bra it's a little bit [more difficult] and you have to sort of arrange your t**s into it."

"And I need help basically, so my lodgers do bra duty, but I haven't got them with me today so I had to do it myself," the actress shared.

During the same podcast, the Harry Potter star candidly discussed what she regards as the "worst bit" about being in her eighties.

When Romesh's mother sought her advice, she said: "The worst bit about being 80 is my weak pelvic floor. I p**s myself all the time and everywhere I go I always take spare knickers because you never know."

"And that's honestly the truth and I don't like it and I don't say it to be funny, I say it because it's true and it's a bl***y nuisance," Miriam added.

"But if I done pelvic floor exercises maybe I wouldn't be so p***y. So do your pelvic floor exercises," she warned.

The actress went on to say that the "best thing" about reaching 80 is the self-assurance she now experiences when encountering new people.

"The best thing about being 80 and I'm going to be 85 [soon], is not being afraid to meet people, not being afraid to go into a room and just be.

"Sometimes, that's because people know who I am and they're sort of starstruck because they think I'm a star, but it gives me confidence," she added. "I feel more empowered to be and go into a room and talk to people."

Miriam has navigated several other health battles over the years, among them an aortic valve replacement in 2023. She also contends with spinal stenosis, a condition which has taken a toll on her mobility.

She previously told Closer Magazine: "I can't walk very well, and I'm registered disabled. I use all kinds of assistance. I've got two sticks and a walker and they're such a bore, but I've just got a mobility scooter, which is a lot of fun."