Miriam Margolyes shocks fans after admitting she ‘had difficulty not wanting Boris Johnson to die’ during coronavirus battle

Actor is famous for making her opinions known during interviews

Miriam Margolyes caused a stir with her virtual appearance on the latest episode of Channel 4's The Last Leg, after admitting she "had difficulty not wanting Boris Johnson to die" while he was fighting Covid-19.

The actor was asked by presenter Adam Mills for her view on how the UK prime minister has been handling the coronavirus pandemic and, predictably, did not hold back.

"Appallingly, of course, appallingly," she said. "It’s a disgrace, it’s a scandal. It’s a public scandal. I had difficulty not wanting Boris Johnson to die. I wanted him to die.

"Then I thought that will reflect badly on me and I don’t want to be the sort of person that wants people to die. So then I wanted him to get better, which he did do, he did get better."

She continued: "But he didn’t get better as a human being. And I really would prefer that. So we’re in the s**t, basically, here."

Fans reacted to Margolyes's comments on social media, with some saying the actor's claim had made them feel uncomfortable. Others pointed out that even the show's hosts, Mills, Alex Brooker and Josh Widdecombe, had seemed astonished by the remarks.

Others praised Margolyes for "speaking her mind" and giving "precisely zero f***s", while some pointed out the UK's rising death toll as proof of the government and Johnson's failings in handling the pandemic.

During the show, the actor also scolded Hills for coughing during the interview, which he said was because he was sitting in a freezing garage in the early hours of the morning.

Johnson is due to give an update on Sunday 10 May regarding the current lockdown rules. The prime minister has been in recovery since being admitted to hospital and placed on oxygen after he tested positive for the virus himself.

Margolyes is known for making controversial remarks during interviews. In a 2017 interview with The Telegraph, she felt it was "good to shock" because it "shakes people up a bit".