Dame Judi Dench has spoken candidly about ongoing health struggles, including pain and worsening eyesight, in her new memoir, Is It Too Late to Make a Run for It?: A memoir by Judi Dench. The 91-year-old actress, known for her role in James Bond films, has age-related macular degeneration, an eye condition that, according to the NHS, "affects the middle part of your vision."
Dench on Pain and Hearing Loss
In the book, co-authored with Brendan O'Hea, Dench responded to observations about her voice deepening with age. She wrote: "No idea what that's about. Tonsils, probably. My hearing is also going. Goodness knows what I'm nodding and saying yes to on a daily basis."
She added: "It's quite exciting actually. When you're young you don't mind if you have a twinge in your back. But when you're older you think, Oh God, here's something I've got to get used to. You're constantly on alert, wondering what's going to pack up next. My teeth are agony."
Dental Work During Filming
Dench recounted an incident while filming the period drama Cranford in 2007, where she played Ms Matty Jenkyns. She required urgent dental work to repair a crown, which meant sitting in the dentist's chair while still wearing her costume.
The memoir also includes another personal revelation about ageing. Dench wrote: "I tell you what else I've noticed about getting older. I break wind a lot more. I farted with such force when I got out of the car the other day that it not only propelled me into the house, but out of the back door and into the neighbour's house."
Stepping Back from Stage and Screen
Earlier, in an interview on BBC Radio 4's Today programme with host Emma Barnett, Dench said deteriorating eyesight has forced her to step away from stage performances. She stated: "I can't be on stage, I can't do a play anymore. I can't do a film anymore. I can't read anymore. So you've got to adjust to all that and make allowances for it and just get on and don't think about it too much."
Dench is set to appear on The Graham Norton Show on UK screens on Friday November 6 at 10:40pm.
