Judi Dench, 91, on her new memoir: the eye condition that means she can no longer act

Updated 7 Nov 2026, 08:06 · First published 7 Nov 2026

Dame Judi Dench has been the most talked-about guest of the weekend after appearing on The Graham Norton Show to promote her new memoir – and opening up about the health problems that mean she can no longer act on stage or screen.

“I can no longer act or read”

Dench has age-related macular degeneration, an eye condition that damages central vision. She has said she can no longer act on stage or in films, or read, and has to “make allowances” for it.

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In the book she also writes that her hearing “is also going”, and describes being “constantly on alert, wondering what’s going to pack up next”.

Dental work in costume

One of the memoir’s lighter moments: while filming the BBC period drama Cranford in 2007, Dench needed an urgent crown repair – and had the dental work done while still in costume.

Get the book

Is It Too Late to Make a Run for It?Judi Dench with Brendan O’HeaDame Judi’s candid, funny memoir about life, work, ageing and the stage.View on Amazon ›

Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the RentJudi Dench with Brendan O’HeaHer bestselling earlier book on a lifetime of playing Shakespeare’s greatest roles.View on Amazon ›

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Where it all began

Dench made her professional stage debut at the Old Vic in London in 1957, playing Ophelia in Hamlet. Nearly seven decades later she is one of Britain’s best-loved actors, with an Oscar for Shakespeare in Love and a long run as M in the James Bond films.