Miriam Margolyes revealed that she's undergone heart surgery as she shared an update on her health.
The actress said that she had transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) and branded it a "refined" operation which stopped her from having to have open heart surgery.
The 82-year-old told Jessie and Lennie Ware on the Table Manners podcast: “I've got a cow's heart now.
“Well, not the whole heart. I've had an aortic valve replaced by a cow's aortic valve.”
When asked if it was a “common” procedure, she responded: “I think it's rather refined, actually!
“I don't know how common it is. I'd never heard of that operation. But it saves you from having open heart surgery, which would be infinitely more invasive.”
Explaining how the operation is performed: “They made two little holes in your groin. One in each groin and then they shoved this thing through.
“And I don't know how they pull it up, but they sort of pull it up with stereos. And then when it comes to the point, when it's in your heart, they pull a little string, and it goes pow!
“And lo and behold, your artery or your aortic valve is shoved unceremoniously to the side.”
In June, the Harry Potter star told Vogue that she was due to undergo the surgery after being rushed to hospital the month prior.
Describing the health issue as “unexpected”, she said her emergency hospital visit had made her confront death.
Margolyes told the outlet: “When you're young, you never think about death. You just think about your next f**k basically. I think about death a lot.
“Now every morning when I get up, I think, ‘Hmmm, another day,’ which maybe I wasn't expecting.”
The British actress has had a year experiencing ill health, having been admitted to The Royal Brompton Hospital in Chelsea with a chestinfection earlier this year.
