'I'm glad it's over': Maggie Smith says she's happy to bid farewell to Downton Abbey and admits she has NEVER watched the show
It will air for the final time with a Christmas special later this year.
And while the thought of Downton Abbey closing its doors will fill its legions of fans with dread, it seems Dame Maggie Smith - who stars in the long-running period drama as Violet Crawley - isn't sad to be saying goodbye.
Speaking on The Graham Norton Show, the 80-year-old star revealed she was 'glad' the show was coming to an end.
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She's had enough! Speaking on The Graham Norton Show this week, Dame Maggie Smith revealed she is 'glad' to be saying goodbye to long-running period drama Downton Abbey
'I’m glad it’s over, I really am. By the time we finished she (Countess of Grantham) must have been about 110. It couldn’t go on and on, it just didn’t make sense,' the Harry Potter actress confessed.
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Despite her acting career spanning over 60 years, Maggie also confessed that it's only been since she starred in the hit ITV drama that passers-by have noticed her.
'It’s only since Downton that people seem to recognise me. That’s television for you. I was in Waitrose the other day and a little boy was at the checkout with his mother and he kept looking at me. When I asked him, ‘Can I help you?’ he said, “No, it’s alright, it’ll come to me in a minute.’ It was so lovely,' she confessed.
Busy lady! Maggie also chatted to Graham (L) about her upcoming movie The Lady in the Van, which also stars actor Alex Jennings (R)
Despite her acting career spanning over 60 years, Maggie also confessed that it's only been since she starred in the hit ITV drama that passers-by have noticed her
Candid: Speaking about her time on the show, she said: 'I’m glad it’s over, I really am. By the time we finished she (Countess of Grantham) must have been about 110. It couldn’t go on and on, it just didn’t make sense'
But while the show is watched by millions, both in the UK and the US, Maggie revealed she isn't one of them.
Asked by host Graham Norton asked her if she's watched the series, the veteran actress paused before intimating 'no' with a shake of her head, though admitted: 'I've got the box set.'
Graham's other guests tonight include Cindy Crawford, Justin Bieber, Bradley Cooper and Sienna Miller.
'I've got the box set': The veteran actress also revealed that she has never watched a full episode of the hit period drama
Away from Downton, Maggie is gearing up for the release of her upcoming movie The Lady in the Van.
Also starring Alan Jennings and James Corden, the film follows the story of a man who forms an unexpected bond with a transient woman living in her car that's parked in his driveway.
The Graham Norton Show airs on Friday at 10.35pm on BBC One.
New project: Maggie and Alan's latest movie follows the story of a man who forms an unexpected bond with a transient woman living in her car that's parked in his driveway
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