Miriam Margolyes is eager to move in with her partner after 55 years together because they "haven’t got long left," but concerns over Brexit have dashed their plans to retire together in Italy.

The 83-year-old 'Harry Potter' star has been in a relationship with Heather Sutherland, 81, since they met while working on a BBC radio drama in the late 1960s, but they have always lived separately.

The couple jointly own a house in Italy and have now decided they want to take the plunge and live together. However, Miriam worries that Britain’s exit from the European Union has complicated their relocation plans.

Speaking to SAGA magazine, she said: “We want to live together now because we haven’t got long left. She is 81 and I am 83. We haven’t figured out yet how we are going to manage that. Brexit has ruined our plans to live in Italy, so it’s a real problem.”

Miriam praised her partner, saying: “My life is complete because she is a part of it. Heather is remarkable, highly educated, an academic, and very private.”

Miriam and Heather own a house in Tuscany, and previously discussed their intention to retire to the Italian countryside during an episode of the ‘Loose Ends’ podcast on BBC Radio 4.

“I love travelling and meeting people, and Italy is one of my favourite countries,” Miriam shared with hosts Clive Anderson and George Egg. “I want to retire there with Heather. I’ve had a home in Clapham since ’73. I feel at home wherever I am and always invested in properties because I had the means to, not having children meant I could afford it. If you have children, you’re poor. Happy, but poor!”