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The legendary performer Judi Dench has opened up about the effects of growing older on her eyesight and recall, stating she frequently finds it hard to recall immediate plans – but can effortlessly recite long sections of the Bard's work.

"I can't remember what I'm doing tomorrow, I promise you," she told the Radio Times.

Her team confirmed that this kind of help are sometimes required. Dench added that her degenerative eye condition currently causes faces to appear "in a fog" even up close.

A Condition That 'Crushes'

"It's a crusher," Dench noted, adding that it prevents her from watching television. "I long to see Clive Myrie presenting Mastermind," she said, "but I can still hear the questions."

Dench, who turns 91 this week, is leading a new documentary about her longstanding relationship with Shakespeare's works. Audiences will also see her being interviewed by Kenneth Branagh in another programme set for broadcast over the Christmas holidays.

On Friends and Exoneration

Dench also mentioned remaining in touch with actor Kevin Spacey, who was acquitted of sexual assault charges in 2023. "Kevin has been exonerated," she stated, "and I hear from Kevin, we text."

In recent months, Dench disclosed she needs full-time assistance in public for fear of falling over due to her failing eyesight. She was first diagnosed with the eye condition in 2012, a progressive disease that is the leading cause of vision loss in the UK.

Coping with New Realities

She has credited the condition with her de facto retirement from film work. "I can no longer see properly on set," she said in 2023, adding: "Reading is also impossible. But you just deal with it."

"It's difficult if I have any length of a part. I have not discovered a way. Since I have so many friends who will teach me the script."

Her last screen credit was a brief part in the 2022 Christmas movie Spirited; prior to that she had a larger role in Allelujah. The same year also brought her her eighth Academy Award nod for Belfast.

A Continued Public Presence

Dench still appears frequently in public, nevertheless, such as at fundraisers like one last month alongside Ian McKellen. This past spring, she was sculpted live for charity. Dench said she could not see the final artwork, but would feel it "if permitted."