Judi Dench's battle with vision loss threatens iconic career

The first lady of world cinema, the famous M from the James Bond films, is a true legend. Judi Dench has been facing health issues for years. As she now reports, her condition is rapidly deteriorating.

Judi Dench has an Oscar to her credit for her role in "Shakespeare in Love" and no less than seven nominations for this most prestigious film award. She was recognized for her roles in movies such as "Belfast," "Philomena," "Notes on a Scandal," "Mrs. Henderson," "Iris," "Chocolat," and "Mrs. Brown." Many pop culture fans remember her primarily as M, who managed James Bond from the MI6 headquarters in London. Her last two productions from 2022 are "Allelujah" and "Ghosts of Christmas Past."

Since then, Judi Dench has not been acting in films or TV series, and no upcoming projects featuring the actress have been heard of. However, there are increasingly sad reports about her deteriorating health condition.

A while ago, we wrote that Judi Dench suffers from macular degeneration, an age-related eye disease. She mentioned in interviews that she is unable to read a book or do a crossword puzzle and needs help to read a script and learn her lines. "And so somebody comes in and reads them to me, like telling me a story. It’s usually my daughter or my agent or a friend and actually I like that, because I sit there and imagine the story in my mind," she confessed years ago.

In the summer of 2023, Judi smilingly remarked that she hadn't formally retired yet because she didn't want to be bored in life. "That's why I now have this tattoo that says carpe diem [seize the day]. That's what we should live by," she said.

In recent days, the 89-year-old participated in the Chelsea Flower Show in London, where she answered questions about her career. Asked by one of the journalists if there are any upcoming premieres featuring her, Dench straightforwardly admitted: "No, no. I can't even see anymore!"

When asked for additional comments, the actress's agent refused to provide details and did not definitively confirm that we won't see the star in any productions again. However, the actress's condition appears to have advanced to the point where she cannot work on set, even with someone's assistance.

"I'm very conscious that I'm in the minority in that I love what I do. How big is the number of people who are running to work to do a job that they like? And how lucky to be employed at it - how incredibly lucky" the actress said, expressing her gratitude for being able to enjoy her work.

In one of the interviews, the actress admitted that the most brutal blow was when she had to give up driving. She called it "one of the most traumatic moments" of her life. "It was absolutely appalling," she said. "But I just know I’ll kill somebody if I get behind the wheel of a car now."