The Life Of Bryony - The Life of You - Miriam Margolyes on Bowel Health, Chocolate, and Why She’ll Never Retire

Episode Date: September 12, 2025

In this episode, Miriam Margolyes returns to share her thoughts on some of life’s most important essentials - from the unwavering significance of bowel health (and her father’s daily question growing up), to the necessity of people and the simple joy of chocolate. We also discuss the reality of the pelvic floor, getting older, and the comfort of ensuring the loo is never too far away! Expect laughter, honesty, and a dash of delicious shock. If you thought the main interview covered everything, think again – this episode is full of the golden moments only Miriam can provide.   BOOKS DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE 📚 Miriam’s latest book, The Little Book of Miriam, is available in all good bookshops from Thursday 11th September 2025.   WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU 🗣️ Got something to share? Text or send a voice note on 07796657512—just start your message with LOB. 💬 Use the WhatsApp shortcut: https://wa.me/447796657512?text=LOB 📧 Prefer email? Drop me a line at [e-mail] If this episode resonated with you, please share it with someone who might need it - it really helps! Bryony xx   Credits:  Host: Bryony Gordon   Guest: Miriam Margolyes   Producer: Laura Elwood-Craig   Assistant Producer: Ceyda Uzun   Studio Manager: Sam Chisholm   Editor: Luke Shelley   Exec Producer: Mike Wooller    A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Seriously popular. Welcome to a special bonus episode of The Life of Briney. If you thought Miriam Margulies gave us everything in the main interview, well, just you wait. You mustn't retire, because if you retire, you die. Because you stop, you stop your routine, you stop wanting things. And then you might as well be dead. Next up, Miriam reveals the three things she can't live without

and gives us a few exclusive, unfiltered, pearls of wisdom that can help us all be a bit more Miriam. What are the three things you can't live without, Miriam? Oh, a bowel movement. Oh, a bowel movement, perfect. Yes, very important. Every day when I was little, Daddy used to ask me, Have you moved your bowels today?

And sometimes he'd question me a little as to firmness and consistency and so on. And I've retained that essential quality in my life. I care about my bowels. It's very important. I think it is. And we know this because we know I had a, well, I've had two friends. die of bowel cancer before the ages of, one was 40 and one was 43. And, you know, we need to talk.

Did they have symptoms? They did, yes, yes, they had. But we need to talk more about, we need to be less embarrassed about this stuff because it can literally save lives. Yes. That's why I talk about pelvic floor. Because I think, you know, we, because I'm a pissy, old lady. You know, luckily, I haven't needed to go to the loo. But if I have to go to the loo,

it's got to be close. Yes. We've made sure there's a loo nearby. Good. Thing number two, well, I suppose it would be my address book. I just have to be able to contact my friends. So bowel movement, address book. Oh, I think I discovered when I was in New York. I think I discovered when I was in New Zealand, Whitaker's chocolate. Ooh. That's the best chocolate in the world. I thought it was Bendix Bittermints. But I realise there is something beyond Bendix bitter mints and it's Whitaker's chocolate.

What is so special about it? It's just beautiful chocolate. It's beautifully made. The flavour is clear. I like I like hazelnut. I like dark chocolate. and it's absolutely top quality. It's just, you know, it's New Zealand.

It's only available in New Zealand, though. No, you can get it around the world. Oh. But it is the best chocolate. If I had any, I'd let you have some. But I haven't. I've eaten it all. And can I ask you about your address book?

The importance of friends and not retire, You say that one must never retire. Oh, no, you haven't, you mustn't retire, because if you retire, you die. Because you stop, you stop your routine, you stop wanting things. And then you might as well be dead and then you die. So, no, don't die. And don't retire from, and socialising is really crucial to you as well. People are essential, contact, reaction.

I need to feel in the world. what I tell gay people, don't be in the gay world. It's not big enough. We belong in the world. And it's good for straight people to have gay people around them too. We've got to think of them. It's good for us all to be in the world together. As opposed to siloing ourselves off into identities and factions. Boundaries like that are borders. I like bridges. I like crosses. I like crossings. I like cross. over. We love you crossing over, Miriam Margulies. Thank you so much. And that is a wrap on our bonus chat with Miriam Margulies, unfortunately. I hope you're feeling as uplifted and as deliciously shocked as I am. If you love these extra tit bits,

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