Judi Dench says macular degeneration means she can no longer read or perform

Dame Judi Dench has said her age-related macular degeneration has left her unable to read, perform on stage or act in films. Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Thursday, the 91-year-old actress said: “I can’t be on stage. I can’t do a play any more. I can’t do a film any more. I can’t read any more.” IOL

Dench, who was diagnosed with the eye condition in 2012, also said she often struggles to recognise people. IOL The quotes were reported identically by the Radio Times, which named interviewer Emma Barnett and confirmed the 2012 diagnosis, and by The News PK. Radio Times The News PK

Asked about ageing more broadly, she replied: “There’s nothing to say for it at all. [I] don’t think about [ageing] too much.” IOL

Dench won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Shakespeare in Love (1998) and has spoken fondly of Shakespeare’s sonnets; she has just published a new memoir, Is It Too Late to Make a Run for It? IOL Radio Times