At 90, Judi Dench Fears She’ll ‘Walk Into Something Or Fall Over’ If She Goes Out By Herself Due To Worsening Eyesight

Jan 23, 2025

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Dame Judi Dench is an English actress famous for her screen and stage performances. Her work spans a variety of genres and has been critically acclaimed. Dench has received several accolades throughout her six-decades-long career. 

She has won an Academy Award, a Tony Award, two Golden Globe Awards and four British Academy Television Awards. She also took home six British Academy Film Awards and seven Olivier Awards. 

Born on Dec. 9, 1934, in the Heworth area of York, the legendary actress’ career began on stage in 1957. Dench made her debut with the Old Vic Company, where she played Ophelia in “Hamlet.” She performed Shakespearean plays with the company for the next few years. She later became a member of the National Theatre Company and the Royal Shakespeare Company. 

Dench has a lifelong love for the theater – so it’s no surprise she met her first husband in one. The two first set eyes on each other in 1962 when the actress was cast in “Romeo and Juliet.” 

Dench married her fellow actor, Michael Williams. They were together for 30 years before he passed away from lung cancer in 2001. Their daughter, Finty Williams, was born in 1972.

While Dench has long loved performing, whether for film, television or the theater, the actress’ health conditions began hindering her from doing her best on set in her later years.

In recent years, the actress has opened up about her worsening eye condition. In January 2025, the 90-year-old gave an update about how this has affected her career and her day-to-day life in an episode of Trinny Woodall’s “Fearless” podcast.

News of Dench’s health condition broke when the actress, then 77 years old, revealed her diagnosis of age-related macular degeneration in a 2012 interview with Daily Mail. She said:

“I can’t read scripts anymore because of the trouble with my eyes. And so somebody comes in and reads them to me, like telling me a story.” Dench continued: “I’ve got what my ma had, macular degeneration, which you get when you get old.”

According to the Mayo Clinic, macular degeneration is a condition that causes permanent and rapid central vision loss and is the leading cause of vision loss in people over 50.

In a 2021 event for the London-based Vision Foundation, Dench opened up about how she has been managing her declining eyesight while preparing for roles. She revealed:

“You find a way of just getting about and getting over the things that you find very difficult.” 

The “Belfast” actress continued: “I’ve had to find another way of learning lines and things, which is having great friends of mine repeat them to me over and over and over again.” 

“So I have to learn through repetition, and I just hope that people won’t notice too much if all the lines are completely hopeless!” Dench added.

In February 2023, during an appearance on “The Graham Norton Show,” Dench explained that even with her photographic memory, it was complicated to memorize lines.

“I need to find a machine that not only teaches me my lines but also tells me where they appear on the page,” she remarked. 

She even joked with actor Hugh Jackman, saying she could still do “the whole of ‘Twelfth Night’” right there and then.

In a 2023 interview with The Mirror, Dench stated she had no plans to retire and wanted to continue working in the entertainment field. However, as she was 88 at the time of the interview, the actress confessed she had problems reading her lines as well as seeing on set.

“I mean I can’t see on a film set any more,” she told the outlet, adding that she can’t “see to read” and “can’t see that much.”

In January 2025, the 90-year-old Academy Award winner appeared on Trinny Woodall’s “Fearless” podcast, where she opened up about her eye condition and its challenges. She revealed that it was no longer safe for her to venture out alone.

“Somebody will always be with me. I have to now because I can’t see and I will walk into something or fall over,” she said.

The actress also expressed her feelings about attending public events.

“I’m always nervous before going to something. I have no idea why… I’m not good at being on my own at all, nor would I be now,” she said, humorously adding, “And fortunately, I don’t have to now because I pretend to have no eyesight.” 

Dench’s bravery in shedding light on the realities of living with such a condition is a nod to her unwavering spirit and resilience. 

Despite her struggles, Judi Dench continues to inspire fans with her work ethic and spirit, proving that even the toughest challenges can’t dim the light of a true star. Did her story inspire you? Let us know, and then pass this along to fans of the iconic actress!