Dame Judi shares health update

Dame Judi shares health update

Dame Judi Dench has revealed that she can no longer recognise friends as her eyesight worsens.

She was diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration in 2012 — the year she was written out of the James Bond series in Skyfall.

The 90-year-old was asked why she had stepped away from the big screen.

"It's because I can't see anymore", she said.

"I can't recognise anybody now. 'People think, 'Oh, get her, she's got very grand', but it's because I can't see. I can't see the television, I can't see to read".

Judi Dench hints film career might be over after 60 years amid eyesight  loss: 'I can't even see' | New York Post

Dame Judi's last appearance on screen was in 2022's Allelujah.

"I have so many friends who will teach me the script", she added. But I have a photographic memory, so I have to know where it is on the page, and that's quite a difficult thing," she told reporters. That's what makes it really impossible so far. But I'll find a way," she added.

Everyone at FBFO wishes Dame Judi all the best.

© 2025 J W Emery Ltd. All rights reserved.

Joe Emery

Joe is Editor of For Bond Fans Only and a writer by trade. When he's not watching Bond, he can be found listening to The Beatles and worrying about West Ham. You can find him on X @joeemerywrites

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