"No longer alone"

Almost blind! Judi Dench is dependent on help

Hollywood icon Judi Dench has now revealed that she is almost blind.

(Bild: picturedesk.com/Matt Crossick / PA)

Dame Judi Dench celebrated her 90th birthday in December. Now the Hollywood icon has spoken openly about the fact that she is now almost blind.

Back in 2012, Dench first revealed that she suffers from macular degeneration, an eye disease that in many cases leads to vision loss. Now the "James Bond" actress has given an update on her state of health.

"Someone always has to be with me"
Dench revealed in the new episode of Trinny Woodall's "Fearless" podcast: "I always have to have someone with me. I have to do it this way now because I can't see and otherwise I'd walk into something or fall down. I'm always nervous before I go anywhere. I have no idea why..."

Judi Dench on October 9, 2022 at the premiere of the film "Allelujah" at the London Film Festival

(Bild: Vianney Le Caer / AP / picturedesk.com)

Dench, who has been a widow since 2001, added with a smile: "I'm not good at being alone at all and I don't have to be now. Fortunately, I don't have to now because I pretend I can't see."

Friends read out lines
A few years ago, the Hollywood icon, who was nominated for another Oscar in 2022, explained that she had difficulty reading scripts due to her failing eyesight. 

The solution: "To learn lines, I have good friends read them to me over and over again. So I have to learn through repetition."

She used to be able to rely on her photographic memory, which is why she now jokes: "I need to find a machine that not only teaches me my lines, but also tells me where they are on the page."

Judi Dench was awarded the title of Dame by Queen Elizabeth back in 1988. The British actress has starred in numerous films, including several "Bond" films as "M" and most recently appeared in front of the camera for the Oscar-winning film "Belfast". Dench herself won an Oscar in 1999 - as best supporting actress for her role in "Shakespeare in Love".