‘I never thought I’d make it past 40’: Claire Foy says she’s ‘contemplated death’ all her life after suffering multiple medical issues as a teenager

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She’s currently enjoying a period of great success, and it looks like that success will continue for quite a while.

Claire Foy is currently at the peak of her career, with two new movies on the way: a fantasy adventure based on Enid Blyton’s The Magic Faraway Tree, and a dark comedy called Savage Garden co-starring Richard E. Grant.

The actress freely acknowledges that everything she’s accomplished feels like extra, considering she spent much of her youth battling numerous health problems and genuinely believing she wouldn’t live past 40.

Born in Stockport, Sarah Foy grew up in Buckinghamshire with her two younger siblings. She’ll turn 42 in April and went on to study film and drama at Liverpool John Moores University.

Her childhood was unfortunately marked by health problems. She developed a non-cancerous tumor behind her eye and, at the age of 13, was diagnosed with juvenile arthritis, which meant she needed crutches to walk.

Foy admits that her repeated illnesses caused her to become overly focused on her own death, and she genuinely believed she wouldn’t live to be older than middle age.

She recently told the Sunday Times Culture magazine that most people avoid thinking about death, simply because it’s unsettling. However, she explained that she’s contemplated mortality throughout her life.

I always kind of expected it to happen, particularly growing up – I honestly didn’t think I’d live past 40. I’ve dealt with a lot of health issues throughout my life.

Yes, I’m still around, and someone once pointed out that most people actually do live long lives. It’s not always a perfect life, of course, but people generally do continue living.

‘That’s what humans want to do. We want to survive, and that’s quite reassuring.’ 

Foy experienced severe pain from juvenile arthritis, a condition that usually starts in childhood. She feels this challenging experience ultimately helped her develop a positive perspective on life.

She explained that being preoccupied with thoughts of death isn’t always a bad thing. It can actually mean you’re very present and appreciate life, like the saying ‘Live every day as if it were your last!’

When I was younger and got sick, I just figured I’d deal with it and keep going. But later on, I started to worry about what’s expected of me – the typical things like having kids and reaching a certain point in my career.

It can become risky because you start to expect big, important events constantly – always waiting for something major to happen.

She said, simply enjoy being alive and be grateful for it, even if she tends to make things a little complicated?

Florence Foy will appear with Andrew Garfield in The Magic Faraway Tree, a fantastical adventure movie packed with special effects. It’s based on the beloved book series by Enid Blyton.

Although computer-generated imagery has long been a standard tool in movies, the actress doesn’t want to be involved in projects heavily dependent on artificial intelligence.

She expressed her disappointment, stating she has no desire to engage with content created by artificial intelligence. She shared this during a question-and-answer session in New York following the release of her biographical drama, ‘H Is For Hawk,’ where she portrays writer and naturalist Helen Macdonald.

When questioned about worries that she might become irrelevant, the Emmy-winning actress explained that it’s up to viewers to determine how entertainment evolves.

She explained to The Sunday Times that it would only happen if people actually wanted to watch it, and if younger people accepted it as simply how things are now.

I just don’t understand it. I’d be really let down if people actually preferred watching something that’s basically just fancy animation.

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2026-01-12 15:18