There’s something utterly irresistible about Miriam Margolyes, and it’s not just her knack for dropping F-bombs on live TV or her unfiltered, jaw-dropping anecdotes. In an entertainment world overrun by meticulously polished, PR-approved clones, Margolyes is a gloriously unfiltered beacon of chaos. Her charm? It’s her gleeful refusal to conform—an anarchist’s delight in an industry that worships decorum.

Take, for instance, her views on her love life: “I’ve had sex with almost all of the women I’ve met. Why not? I enjoyed it, and so did they.” Who else but Miriam would say that? Or the time she met Martin Scorsese and brazenly told him, “You’re the only man I’d leave my girlfriend for.” Her boldness isn’t limited to the bedroom, either. When Prince Charles asked what she did, she didn’t hesitate: “I told him I was the best reader of smut in the world, and he looked a bit shocked.” And that’s the beauty of Margolyes—she’ll say what we’re all thinking, or more likely, what we wouldn’t dare to think.

But it’s not just the shock value that makes Margolyes so compelling. Beneath the salty language and eyebrow-raising comments, there’s an undeniable warmth, a sense that she genuinely loves life in all its messy, unpredictable glory. She’s the rare public figure who seems to be living her life, not curating it for Instagram. When she talks about being cast in Harry Potter, she quips, “I was delighted to be Professor Sprout. She’s a fat, jolly woman—a bit like me, minus the jolly.” It’s this kind of disarming self-awareness that makes her not just a character, but a deeply relatable one.

And let’s not forget her take on weight loss: “I’ve always been fat. I can’t say I like it, but I don’t have the willpower to change it. The only exercise I get is when I serve other people.” In a world obsessed with body image and fitness fads, Margolyes’ honesty is a breath of fresh air. She’s the anti-celebrity celebrity, a woman who’s managed to stay relevant by being unapologetically, unrepentantly herself.

Miriam Margolyes has become a national treasure not in spite of her unruliness, but because of it. In an age of relentless self-promotion and carefully managed personas, her chaotic authenticity is incredibly refreshing. Honestly, in a world of beige, thank goodness for a splash of Miriam Margolyes.