One of Dame Judi Dench’s last films was 2022’s Allelujah
Dame Judi Dench has given a sad reason for why she’s not in films and TV shows anymore.
Dench shot onto the acting scene in 1957 in Liverpool, England, where the then-22-year-old played Ophelia in an Old Vic Company production of Hamlet.
Fast forward to today and Dench, 90, is said to have been in around 60 movies. One of her most famous roles was ‘M’ in the James Bond franchise alongside Daniel Craig.
Elsewhere, she has won an Academy Award for her role in Shakespeare in Love and BAFTAs for Iris, Mrs Brown, and A Handful of Dust (as well as dozens of nominations over her decades-long career).
But Dench has taken a step back from the spotlight in recent years after being diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
What is AMD?
AMD typically affects people aged 50 and over (Getty Stock Image)
According to WebMD, AMD is an eye disease that may get worse over time. The website adds: “AMD happens when the central portion of your retina, called the macula, wears down. The retina is the light-sensing nerve tissue at the back of your eye.”
AMD is said to be the leading cause of permanent vision loss in people aged over 50 and it affects around one in ten people in the US.
The condition doesn’t lead to complete blindness but it does seriously affect a person’s vision.
When did Judi Dench get AMD?
Dame Judi Dench has been battling the condition for more than a decade (Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images for BFI)
The actress was diagnosed with the condition in 2012. AMD can be hereditary and Dench’s mother happened to have suffered from vision loss as well.
Earlier this year, Dench shared that she’s unable to leave the house by herself as a result of her worsening eyesight.
“Somebody will always be with me,” she shared on the Fearless podcast, adding: “I have to now because I can’t see and I will walk into something or fall over.”
The James Bond icon continued: “I’m always nervous before going to something. I have no idea why. I’m not good at that at all. Not at all. Nor would I be now. And fortunately, I don’t have to be now because I pretend to have no eyesight.”
Dench’s health update
Dench’s AMD has left her unable to read or watch TV (ITV News)
In recent days, Dench was interviewed by ITV News where she addressed her lack of roles in TV shows and films of late.
“We don’t often see you on camera these days,” said the reporter.
Dench replied: “No you don’t because I can’t see anymore. I’ve got, you know, that thing.”
Sat next to Ian McKellen, she told her friend and fellow actor that she could ‘see his outline’ and the scarf he was wearing, but other than that it’s extremely hard for her.
“I can’t recognize anyone anymore,” Dench went on. “I can’t see the television. I can’t see to read.”
