Brian Cox Says He's in the Gym '3 Times a Week' at 79: 'You Really Have to Be Responsible for Your Body'
Brian Cox Says He's in the Gym '3 Times a Week' at 79: 'You Really Have to Be Responsible for Your Body'
Angel SaundersFri, April 3, 2026 at 10:58 PM UTC
0
Brian Cox attends British GQ celebrates Excellence in Film with Paul Smith in February 2026Credit: Dave Benett/Getty -
Brian Cox opens up about his health as he approaches 80
The Scottish actor spoke with U.K. newspaper The Times about how frequently he works out
“You really have to be responsible for your body, because it’s dying. You can’t give in to that,” Cox said
Brian Cox is making sure his health is a top priority.
The 79-year-old Succession star revealed how he might celebrate his upcoming 80th birthday in June, during an interview with U.K. newspaper The Times published Friday, April 3. After admitting it wouldn’t be like his character Logan Roy playing “Boar on the Floor” at a dinner party, or getting into a physical altercation with Alan Cumming’s Donal in Glenrothan, Cox was asked how he keeps in shape.
“Gym three times a week,” the actor said. “You really have to be responsible for your body, because it’s dying. You can’t give in to that.”
Brian Cox attends "The Lord Of The Rings: The War of The Rohirrim" world premiere in December 2024Credit: Jeff Spicer/Getty
He also added that he does all he can to decrease his odds of developing dementia.
“Yes, you know, there’s all kinds of protocols I can take,” Cox told the outlet. “I’m very careful about it, because I need to learn my lines to keep working.”
Cox also opened up about his health to ITV’s This Morning in 2023, saying that he can sometimes “get hangry because I’m diabetic.”
"I need my food and then I don't like my food, so I have a very complicated relationship with my food," the Manhunter actor continued, adding, "I've started taking injections, so I do get hangry, yes."
His comments came after his Succession co-star Kieran Culkin told Esquire that when Cox is “a little bit hungry,” it can lead to him being “impatient.”
Advertisement
"Get him a sandwich and let's roll please," Culkin, 43, said as the solution.
However, Sarah Snook, who also worked with the pair on the hit HBO series, told Times Radio in February 2024 that the behavior can sometimes make her wonder.
“He has a habit of sometimes going into a false — or could it be real, who knows? — diabetic rage," the Australian actress, now 38, said at the time.
Brian Cox attends the Series Two Exclusive Screening of "007: Road To A Million" in August 2025Credit: Alan Chapman/Dave Benett/WireImage
“I think part of it’s a little of trying to just jolt the energy of the set and rustle a few feathers, get it going and moving faster," she continued.
As it pertains to Cox’s physical health, he did reveal on The Late Late Show with James Corden in 2020 that he hadn’t realized he had COVID-19 until he later tested positive for antibodies.
— sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
"I'm a diabetic, and I went from my usual bloods that I usually have between months," the Scottish actor told host James Corden, 47. "I went there, and they took my bloods, and they took the COVID test. Then my doctor called me and said, 'Oh, congratulations. You've had it.'"
Cox said while he "never felt anything," he believed he may have contracted it after directing a play in London in December 2019.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
