Judi Dench: The reason my days alone on red carpet are over

Dame Judi Dench has said she cannot attend red carpet premieres alone any more because her eyesight has become so poor.

The Oscar-winning actress, who was diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in 2012, explained how her limited vision has led to increased nervousness before attending events.

During a discussion on Trinny Woodall’s Fearless podcast, she said: “Somebody will always be with me. I have to now because I can’t see and I will walk into something or fall over.

“I’m always nervous before going to something. I have no idea why.”

When asked about going solo, the veteran thespian said she’s “not good at that at all”.

She added: “Nor would I be now. And fortunately, I don’t have to be now because I pretend to have no eyesight.”

Dame Judi, 90, has previously spoken frankly about the challenges the condition has posed to her career, explaining two years ago that as a result she “can’t see on a film set any more”.

The degenerative eye condition is the leading cause of sight loss in Britain, affecting more than 700,000 people.

The James Bond and Shakespeare In Love actress has spoken repeatedly about her wish to continue working indefinitely, calling retirement “the rudest word in my dictionary”.

However, she has also said that AMD has affected her film and stage career in recent years, because she now struggles to learn lines after having largely relied on her photographic memory in the past.

“I can’t see to read,” she said in 2023, adding: “So I can’t see much. But you know you just deal with it. Get on.

“It’s difficult for me if I have any length of a part. I haven’t yet found a way. Because I have so many friends who will teach me the script. But I have a photographic memory.”

Her last film appearance was a cameo in the Christmas film Spirited in 2022, as well as a starring role in Allelujah, a Richard Eyre film about a geriatric ward facing closure, in the same year.

Dame Judi’s memoir, titled The Man Who Pays the Rent, was released in 2023 and is a tribute to her lifelong love of Shakespeare.

She remains one of the leading public figures advocating for the learning and enjoyment of Shakespeare and has played many of his characters on stage, including Lady Macbeth, Ophelia and Juliet.

She has also taken part in a number of live appearances over the past year, including with her friend Gyles Brandreth at a Christmas show at the Palladium and at Cheltenham Literary Festival to discuss her book.

Dame Judi has been a stage and screen actress since the 1950s, becoming a household name for a film career that has included roles in the James Bond franchise, Mrs Brown, Notes on a Scandal and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.

When she revealed she was suffering from AMD in 2012, she made clear that she did not want news of her condition to be “overblown”.

Speaking at the time, Dami Judi said in a statement: “In response to the numerous articles in the media concerning my eye condition, macular degeneration, I do not wish for this to be overblown.

“This condition is something that thousands and thousands of people all over the world are having to contend with. It’s something that I have learnt to cope with and adapt to – and it will not lead to blindness.”