Dame Judi Dench has admitted to behaving awkwardly around BBC presenter Richard Osman at an event, an encounter she attributes to her worsening age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The 91-year-old actress, known for roles in James Bond films and Shakespeare in Love, has lived with the condition since 2012.
AMD affects the central part of a person's vision, as described by the NHS. The condition, which also affected her mother, has significantly impacted Dench's ability to work and interact with others, leading to at least one regrettable incident.
Revelation in Autobiography
Dench disclosed the "rude" encounter in her autobiography, Is It Too Late to Make a Run for It?, co-written with friend Brendan O'Hea in a question-and-answer format. In the book, she discusses how she enjoys posing for photographs with tall men, as she appears amusingly shorter by comparison.
The star, who stands just over five feet tall, explained how this habit began before revealing what happened with the Pointless Celebrities host and Thursday Murder Club author.
"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. 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."
The Awkward Encounter
Describing the incident, Dench said: "There he was, standing around at an event, and I sidled up and said, 'May I have my photograph taken please?'"
She 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."
Other Effects of Sight Loss
This is not the only issue Dench has faced due to her sight loss. The Oscar-winning actress has also expressed sadness at not being able to see flowers this summer. Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Emma Barnett, she said: "They said this summer was absolutely sensational with bluebells; I couldn’t see one. But I know what my trees look like, and part of it is in my memory and part of it is about hopefully what I can make out."
While her sight loss means she can no longer go out unaccompanied, Dench said her love for other things in life, such as Shakespeare's sonnets, remains undiminished. She added: "I am besotted by the sonnets, I just love them. It’s the rhythm of it. It’s the rhythm of your heart. It’s the way he’s summed up so simply the way that any of us feel about, well, anything."
