Miriam Margolyes 'appalled' after hearing student bullying story
Miriam Margolyes was left in shock during the final episode of her BBC Two series, A New Australian Adventure, upon hearing a harrowing tale that "appalled" her.
The renowned Harry Potter actress journeyed to the remote mining community of Broken Hill, located in the Australian outback, where she encountered 14-year-old Abbie. The youngster has bravely initiated The Rainbow Shoelace project, which offers support to individuals facing homophobia.
Abbie, who proudly identifies as queer, shared with Margolyes the intense opposition she's faced, revealing that her efforts had led to bullying at school and even death threats.
"The backlash made me feel completely terrified, and I quickly saw my inner sense of pride diminish," Abbie confessed, visibly disheartened.
Margolyes, deeply moved by what she heard, gave Abbie a tender embrace, assuring her: "That's awful, I can't bear that," reports the Mirror.
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In a bid to offer comfort and encouragement, Miriam remarked: "They're just pathetic and you will not give up your project, you are you and you are changing the world and you're magnificent."
She further inspired Abbie with heartfelt words of affirmation: "What you have to face is that you have courage and in that courage, you've forged an idea which is going to give courage to other people."
As she departed from Abbie's residence, the comedian was visibly touched by her encounter, telling the camera: "I feel great sadness actually and anger because Abbie told me something about this sweet town that I had not expected.
"She's been bullied so some things haven't changed. There are stupid little bullies here."
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Miriam then disclosed that she took it upon herself to contact Abbie's school regarding the bullying.
She said: "I was appalled by her story and made a personal decision to reach out to her school to stop this issue, I just hope things get better."
Fortunately, Miriam's visit to Broken Hill concluded on a high note as she visited an animal sanctuary. In a comical moment, she tried to feed a carrot to a camel by holding it in her mouth for the creature to snatch away.
Miriam Margolyes: A New Australian Adventure is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
