The 83-year-old has confessed she regrets not making serious life changes after undergoing an operation in 2023 that saw her have a transcatheter aortic valve replacement to avoid more invasive open-heart surgery.
She told Closer she is suffering spinal stenosis – a condition that puts pressure on the spinal cord and nerves.
"I can't walk very well, and I'm registered disabled, so I use all kinds of assistance," she said.
"I've got two sticks and a walker and they're such a bore, but I've just got a mobility scooter, which is a lot of fun."
Margolyes now wishes she had been able to conquer her weight issues and is scared she won't be afford carers to look after her as her health deteriorates.
"I'm worried that I won't have enough money for carers when I finally get paralysed, or whatever it is that's going to happen to me," she told Radio Times.
Margolyes is now focusing on saving cash to provide for her and her partner Heather, with whom she has been with since 1968.
She has a payday coming from fronting a new series of BBC Two's Miriam Margolyes: A New Australian Adventure, and makes videos for fans on the Cameo website, where she charges for a special greeting clip.
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