Maryam d’Abo, best known for her role as the fresh-faced Bond girl Kara Milovy in the 1987 film The Living Daylights, embraces natural aging at 65. As she prepares for her return to the London stage later this month, the actress firmly rules out cosmetic surgery, a choice increasingly common among celebrities.
Embracing Authenticity Over Enhancement
‘It’s not my thing,’ d’Abo states. Influenced by icons like Jeanne Moreau and Simone Signoret, who aged naturally, she avoids the trend. ‘I grew up with a world of wonderful actresses who aged naturally. I wouldn’t dare go there!’
Reflecting on her Bond era alongside Timothy Dalton as 007, d’Abo reveals she never viewed herself as beautiful during that time. ‘You don’t go walking around thinking, “Oh I’m beautiful!”‘ she explains. ‘There are some mornings when you wake up and you feel great, and others when you don’t feel great. I feel like any normal human being, that ageing is not an easy process and you have your ups and downs, good days and bad days.’
Overcoming Health Challenges for Stage Comeback
D’Abo’s journey includes a brain hemorrhage in 2007 that required surgery, impacting her memory and causing anxiety about memorizing lines. This marks her first stage appearance in over 25 years with Spanish Oranges, written by friend Alba Arikha, running at The Playground Theatre from February 11 to March 7.
‘If there’s anything that’s affected me from the brain haemorrhage it’s been my memory,’ she notes. ‘I think it’s a combination of age and that. Your muscle is weaker because it’s been intrusive—they opened my skull and put a tiny little metal in there. I feel like the memory muscle has been weakened.’
Post-surgery, she experienced memory issues exacerbated by medications. ‘I was told that everything would be enhanced after the operation, and I had terrible memory after the operation but that’s also due to all the drugs I was put on. Learning lines is hell. But ask any actor of a certain age what it’s like learning lines when you’ve got a lot of them. I’m anxious about it because of that.’
Navigating Personal Loss and Finding Comfort
Raised in Paris and Geneva, d’Abo lost her husband, Oscar-winning director Hugh Hudson of Chariots of Fire, in 2023 after 20 years of marriage. The couple, 24 years apart in age, had no children, a decision she holds without regret amid global challenges. ‘You have to keep going. You can’t stop and have self-pity—that doesn’t get you anywhere. Many people out there are in a much worse situation than I am at this time.’
Currently, her closest companion is their 13-year-old French Basset Hound, Winston. ‘If there is one man in my life he’s my dog,’ she shares. ‘He was our dog and we loved him dearly. He’s 13 now, and all my friends and I adore him. He goes everywhere with me, even to rehearsals.’
D’Abo values the support of friends during her grieving process. ‘At the moment I just want to be in the familiar comfort zone of my friends. The friendships have been extraordinary through a grieving.’
