Judi Dench shared a health update about her vision loss, revealing that she can no longer identify people.
In a joint interview with his ex Macbeth to cost Ian McKellan for ITV Newsposted on Wednesday, November 26, Dench, 90, detailed how macular degeneration has affected her vision. “I can see your (McKellan’s) outline and I know you so well … but I can’t recognize anyone now,” Dench said as she turned from the 86-year-old actor to the interviewer. “I can’t watch TV, (and I) can’t see to read.”
Dench revealed in 2012 that she was diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration, with Cleveland Clinic describing it as “primarily an age-related retinal condition” affecting central vision, with “treatments, but (no) cure”.
The Notes on a scandal star, who reunited with McKellan 50 years after starring alongside him in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s British stage production of Macbethhe added that he could no longer attend theater performances due to his declining eyesight.
A heartbreaking update. Judi Dench revealed that her eyesight makes it difficult for her to memorize scripts for new roles. “It’s become impossible,” the 88-year-old Oscar winner explained during an appearance Friday, Feb. 17, on The Graham Norton Show. “And since I have a photographic memory, I need to find a machine that (…)
McKellan brought some levity to the interview by jokingly asking her former co-star, “But do you go to complete strangers and say, ‘Nice to see you again?'” to which Dench laughed before replying, “Yeah, sometimes.”
Dench revealed in January that his vision loss has affected his ability to attend public events. During an appearance on an episode of Trinny WoodallOn the “Fearless” podcast, she said, “I’m always nervous before I go to something,” before adding that someone has to “be with me” during red carpet appearances.
He jokingly concluded: “I’m not good at it. Not at all. I wouldn’t be now. And thankfully, I don’t have to be now,” before noting that she “has no eyesight” and that she “might trip.”
Dave Bennett/Getty Images Elton John talks about losing his sight. The legendary musician, 77, told the audience at the opening night of The Devil Wears Prada: The Musical in London on Sunday, December 1 that he was struggling to see the stage, according to the Daily Mail. (John provided the music for the musical.) (…)
Dench revealed her diagnosis in a statement shared with Reuters more than a decade ago. “In response to the many articles in the media about my eye condition, macular degeneration, I don’t want this to be exaggerated,” the 2012 statement read. “This condition is something that thousands and thousands of people around the world have to deal with. It’s something I’ve learned to deal with and adapt to, and it won’t lead to blindness.”
He expanded on the disease during a 2021 interview with the guardianstating that he learned to adapt to the deterioration of his vision. “You find a way to overcome yourself and overcome the things that you find very difficult,” Dench told the network at the time. “I’ve had to find another way to learn lines and stuff, which is to have my great friends repeat them to me over and over and over. So I have to learn through repetition, and I just hope people don’t notice too much if all the lines are completely hopeless.”
Noam Galai/Getty Images Elton John may be struggling with his eyesight, but he still has jokes. “I don’t know if you know this, but there have been a lot of stories about my recursive vision,” John, 77, said when he took the stage at the 2025 Golden Globes on Sunday, January 5. “I just wanted to reassure (…).
The English actress is known for her performances on both screen and stage, earning an Academy Award for her supporting role as Queen Elizabeth I in Shakespeare in love opposite Gwyneth Paltrowwho also won an Oscar for his work in the 1998 film.
Dench, who has had a relationship with a conservationist David Mills since 2010, he was also appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1970 and a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1988.