EXCLUSIVE: The Crown Star Shockingly Reveals Why She Is Amazed She Wasn't Dead by the Age of 40
Jan. 18 2026, Published 11:00 a.m. ET
Claire Foy has revealed she once believed she would not survive beyond midlife, admitting she feared she would be dead by 40 after a childhood marked by serious illness, in a confession RadarOnline.com can reveal has left her friends and fans reeling.
The 40-year-old actress, who became a global star thanks to her role in The Crown, recently spoke candidly about how early health scares shaped her outlook on mortality, explaining years of medical trauma left her convinced she would die young.
Foy Feared She Would Not Live Past 40
Claire Foy revealed her lifelong fear of dying young.
Diagnosed with juvenile arthritis at 13 and later undergoing surgery at 17 to remove a benign tumor from behind her eye, the star said those experiences made death feel like a constant presence rather than a distant abstraction.
She said: "Death? The fact we're all on our way out? It's something we just don't want to think about while we're alive. "But I have thought about death my whole life. I just presumed that it was going to happen, especially through my childhood."
Foy underwent surgery as a teenager.
When asked whether that fear eased with age, Foy added: "My thing was that I was never going to make it past 40, ever. I have had many medical things in my life. But, yes, I'm still here and someone once told me, 'You know, most people live?'
"They meant most people live quite a long and lovely life. Well, not necessarily lovely. But people do tend to live. That's what humans want to do. We want to survive, and that's quite reassuring."
Friends Say Her Confession Was A Shock
She believed she would not live past 40.
Sources close to the actor said the admission has taken many by surprise.
One friend said: "People who know her will be stunned by how close to the surface these fears still are. She has always projected strength, so hearing her talk so openly about expecting to die young is a shock. "It's actually really sad to hear she has lived with a fear of death since childhood."
Another insider added: "Fans see her as resilient and composed, so this revelation really stopped people in their tracks."
Facing Mortality Changed Her Outlook On Life
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Foy balanced her acting career with motherhood.
Foy added confronting death has ultimately pushed her toward optimism rather than despair.
She explained: "Being morbid isn't necessarily negative. It can mean that you are quite immediate, like, 'Live every day as if it's your last!'
"Because I was ill when I was younger, I just thought, 'Let's crack on!'"
The actress, who shares daughter Ivy, 10, with her former husband Stephen Campbell Moore, 46, said balancing her career with motherhood has brought its own pressures.
She recently said in a separate interview: "I mean… having a job and being a parent is a logistical s--- show, that's the truth of it.
"When it comes to making films and TV shows, the hours aren't conducive to having a family, so there's a lot of juggling and a lot of hoping for the best."
Foy has also addressed ageism in entertainment, arguing women in midlife are routinely sidelined.
She hit out: "I think the industry struggles with women between the age of 45 and 60. They don't really know what to do with them. "They're like, 'Who are you? You're not a mother. Are you a mother? Or are you a grandmother?'
"I've always felt that it's my responsibility to play the women I know and like, who are out there, and if I'm able to do that, I will."
