Miriam Margolyes reveals the secret to her 54-year relationship with partner Heather Sutherland

The ‘Age of Innocence’ actor and her partner met while working on a BBC radio production together

Actor Miriam Margolyes has revealed the key to her long-term relationship with her partner Heather Sutherland.

The British-Australian star, 82, who is best known for her role in Martin Scorsese’s The Age of Innocence and to a younger generation as Professor Sprout in the Harry Potter film franchise, is one of three cover stars for British Vogue‘s Pride month series.

In the accompanying interview, Margolyes opens up about her long-term relationship with her partner Sutherland, who is an academic.

The pair met while working on a BBC radio drama after Margolyes had graduated from studying at the University of Cambridge.

While Margolyes and her partner have never cohabited – with Sutherland living in Amsterdam – the pair have been together ever since they met 54 years ago.

The actor told the publication that neither she nor Sutherland had to compromise their goals in order to remain together, and both followed their individual career ambitions and life goals.

“We were able to lead our lives without diminishing them,” Margolyes explained. “I didn’t want her to have to give up anything. And I didn’t want to give up anything.

“I wanted my cake and I wanted to eat it too. And so far, it’s worked.”

The pair had a civil partnership, which the actor said was more to do with legal protection. Margolyes said she counts herself “lucky” that she can have a less conventional relationship compared to most people in long-term partnerships.

“Gay people have the luck to be able to fashion the relationship they want. It’s much more flexible for us,” she claimed.

“I think we have more freedom than [straight people] do. Particularly gay boys, they’re always f***ing everything. It’s amazing. I don’t know how they get away with it.”

She added: “I think gay people are very lucky, because we are not conventional, we are a group slightly apart. It gives us an edge. We’re good artists, we’re good musicians.

Margolyes concluded that she “likes being gay” and wouldn’t want to be straight for “anything”.

In May, the actor announced that she had been in hospital after undergoing a Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) – a minimally invasive procedure to replace a narrow aortic valve after it fails to open properly.

“I am growing energy but it’s still not quite me. I am putting this so you know how grateful I am for lovely messages,” she wrote to her fans at the time.

The actor has a 22-city book tour planned for later this year to mark the release of her second book, Oh Miriam! Stories from an Extraordinary Life, which recounts moments in the actor’s career where she has been outspoken and met with a disapproving “Oh Miriam”.