Judi Dench Steps Back From Acting Amid Failing Sight

Dame Judi Dench has confirmed that age-related macular degeneration has brought an end to her celebrated acting career.

First diagnosed in 2012, the 91-year-old Oscar winner revealed on an international radio programme that her deteriorating vision now prevents her from working or reading: “I can’t be on stage. I can’t do a play any more. I can’t do a film any more. I can’t read any more,” Dench stated.

The condition causes severe facial blindness and daily complications, with Dench humorously admitting she frequently approaches strangers: “I go up to lots of the wrong people and give them an almost hug and say: ‘Oh sorry, didn’t realise’’,” she said.

Despite seven decades of acclaim – spanning classical stage roles, an Academy Award for Shakespeare in Love, and her pioneering tenure as M in the James Bond franchise – Dench avoids dwelling on growing older: “There’s nothing to say for it at all. [I] don’t think about it too much,” Dench explained.

Instead, she retains a passionate devotion to classical verse: “I am besotted by the sonnets, I just love them,” Dench remarked, celebrating William Shakespeare’s timeless emotional rhythm.

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