“Someone always has to be with me”

Hollywood star Judi Dench has suffered from eye disease for years and has since lost her sight almost completely. In a podcast, she said that she could no longer leave her house without being accompanied.

In December, actress Judi Dench celebrated her 90th birthday. The “James Bond” star does not hide the fact that his old age involves one or another challenge.

Thus, in an episode of the podcast “Fearless” by British entrepreneur Trinny Woodall (60), she spoke openly about her age-related macular degeneration.

It is a progressive eye disease that she was diagnosed with in 2012 and has since almost completely robbed her of her sight. But the nonagenarian does not let herself be discouraged. She hasn’t lost her sense of humor.

Today, she always needs someone by her side. “Because I can’t see anymore and I would walk or fall into something,” the actress explains in an interview with Woodall.

Judi Dench doesn’t like being alone anyway

Despite this restriction, she also sees positive aspects in her situation, as she suggests with a smile. According to her, the illness protects her from loneliness, because she does not like being alone since the death of her husband in 2001.

“I’m not good at being alone at all,” she says. Dench adds with a laugh: “And luckily I don’t have to do that now, because I’m pretending I don’t have my sight.”

Macular degeneration mainly affects central vision, which means that affected people see less and less well in the center of their field of vision. Contours and colors can still be recognized for a long time, which helps sufferers in their daily lives.

Humor is the best recipe

To cope with the progression of the disease, Dench long relied on friends who repeated the lines to him to learn the lines of his film roles. “We have to find a way to overcome things that are very difficult for us. I had to find another way to learn lines and things,” explains the actress.

Despite the challenges the disease presents, Dench remains optimistic and humorous. She has learned to manage her situation and considers humor to be her best recipe for coping with the illness.

The editor wrote this article with the help of AI.