Instead of throwing a "big party" to mark her 80th birthday, Joanna Lumley has revealed that she plans to spend the day working - and her reason why is both hilarious and completely relatable.
Speaking to Closer, Joanna, who is set to mark her 80th in May of next year, admitted that the thought of a big birthday bash "repels" her. Adding that she was "always at school for birthdays" when she was growing up, she explained that she simply doesn't know why anyone 'would ever' want to throw a party and gather all their friends just to mark being another year older.
Joanna, who even has a no-fuss attitude when it comes to skincare and chooses a 'cheap as chips' moisturiser over pricey creams, said, "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," she added. "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?"
She continued, "On my big special day, fingers crossed I’ll be working. It’s always good luck to be working on your birthday."
We imagine that Joanna really will be working on her milestone day, with the icon doing anything but slowing down as she grows older. Over 50 years into her glittering career, she's still got a lot on her plate and revealed that working so much is what has kept her feeling so young.
Dipping her toes into everything from iconic roles, like that of her Amandaland and Absolutely Fabulous characters, to filming documentaries about Japan, India, and the Caribbean, she's showing no signs of slowing down now.
In her latest documentary series, she travels the length of the Danube River, and we'll see her undertake the role of Grandmama Hester Flump in the second season of Netflix’s highly anticipated Wednesday, which will be released in August.
"I think we need [to work], which is why in this lovely show I’m doing, you see something which is a café in Vienna run by old age pensioners. Because they’re suddenly sitting at home, and they can all do stuff," she said of the cafe featured in her latest documentary, Joanna Lumley's Danube, which is available to watch on ITV and ITVX.
"They’re retired, the pension isn’t huge, they can’t live off it. They’re lonely, they’re bored stiff. So, they’ve made this Grannies Café, which is all their own bits – cups and saucers, old cushions, their own beautiful cakes – and it’s packed," she said.
"And all the grannies, of course, have got something to do, and they’ve got a purpose in life. So, the thing is to keep doing stuff and being wanted and doing stuff other people need. Do it."
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