Hayley Mills appeared on Death in Paradise in a brand new episode. In it she played Nancy Martin. Her guest appearance was really exciting for viewers of the show but unfortunately her character was killed minutes into the episode.
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At the time, The Sun reported the fans’ anger at seeing the Academy Award winning actress killed off mere minutes after appearing on screen. Many didn’t understand what was the point of having such an iconic actress on the show only to give her a few minutes of screen time.
However, as angry and disappointed as viewers were, this renewed interest in the actress.
Hayley Mills’ eventful personal life
Express reports that Hayley Mills’ has been in a relationship with actor and writer Firdous Bamji. So far, nothing worth noting. However, the tabloid continues and specifies that Bamji is 20 years younger than Mills.
When talking about how the two met Mills explains:
My long-time partner is Indian- born actor Firdous Bamji. We met when we toured America in the title roles of The King and I; starting off as friends and then it became more the best way don't you think?
The two have been together since 1997 and reportedly live in London.
Though this relationship is a nice nugget of information, this is far from being the most interesting thing about the actress. Indeed, Mills comes from a family of performers. Her father Sir John Mills won an academy award in 1971 and was later knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1976. Her mother was also an actress but her legacy will come through her writing.
In 1958 she wrote Whistle Down the Wind which was later adapted on TV - with Hayley Mills as one of the actors - and developed as a musical in 1996 by none other than Andrew Lloyd Weber (The Phantom of the Opera, Cats).
Her sister, Juliet Mills went on to also work as an actress and won an Emmy in 1975. But that isn’t all. Hayley Mills’ first son, Crispian Mills, is also famous. He gained fame not through acting but through music by becoming the lead singer and guitarist of the band Kula Shaker.
Hayley Mills’ health scares
At the time of her guest appearance in Death in Paradise, Mills was 77. Throughout her life she has suffered several health scares. Express reports that in 2008 she was diagnosed with breast cancer for which she received surgery and started chemotherapy.
Talking about the impact chemo had on her, Mills said:
It made me feel awful. I was more frightened of the chemo than the cancer. I could feel it draining and killing me. I felt I was dying.
Only a few years later, in 2012, Hayley Mills was diagnosed with cancer once again. But she managed to pull through. In a controversial manner, she explained that her recovery was thanks to ‘alternative treatments and lifestyle changes’ which included changes in her diet.
She explained this personal approach to her recovery:
I always say a tremendous amount of healing is in your own hands. What you can do to boost your immune system and what you can do to keep your mind, body and soul healthy and positive is important.
She also emphasised that not ‘everyone should do’ what she did.
Looking at her eventful life, it is understandable that fans were expecting a lot more from her guest appearance on Death in Paradise. What do you think?
Read more:
⋙ Then and now: From Judi Dench to Ian McKellen, this is what these iconic actors looked like
⋙ Maggie Smith suffers from this very rare condition: What is Grave's disease?
Sources:
The Sun: ‘Can’t take much more!’ rant Death in Paradise fans as ‘iconic’ star is killed off in twisted BBC scenes
Express: BBC Death in Paradise Hayley Mills' famous son and famous boyfriend and health woes
