Dame Judi Dench has admitted she behaved awkwardly with podcaster and television presenter Richard Osman at an event, an incident she attributes to her ongoing sight loss.
The 91-year-old actress, known for roles in James Bond, Shakespeare in Love, and Philomena, has been living with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a condition that the NHS says affects the middle part of one's vision. The same condition affected her mother and has impacted her ability to work and interact with people.
The Incident with Richard Osman
The story appears in her autobiography Is It Too Late to Make a Run for It?, co-written with her friend Brendan O'Hea, which takes the form of a question and answer session. In the book, Dench discusses how she enjoys taking photographs with tall men, as she looks humorously small in comparison.
Dench, who is just over five feet tall, explained how the habit started and what happened with Osman, the 55-year-old host of Pointless Celebrities and The Rest Is Entertainment. She said: "It all started with the American artist Mark Bradford. He's six feet eight. You should see the photo – I don't even come up to his armpit."
She continued: "I look like something you'd throw for the dog. And I've got a great one of me with Richard Osman. But I behaved so badly. There he was, standing around at an event, and I sidled up and said, 'May I have my photograph taken please?'"
Dench added: "Only then did I realise he was talking to someone and I was so rude – no apology. It turned out to be Alexander Armstrong, I must send him a voice note. That's what comes with not being able to see."
Impact on Her Career and Daily Life
While her sight loss has provided moments of levity, it has also caused her great sadness since her diagnosis in 2012. In a recent interview, Dench admitted she can no longer read, watch a film, or act in a play.
Speaking to Emma Barnett on BBC Radio 4, Dench said: "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." She also said her sight loss means she sometimes mistakes people for others, on occasion going to give the wrong person a hug before realising the error.
When it comes to ageing, she said there was "nothing to say" and that she tries not to consider it "too much".
