OUT OF HER COMFORT ZONE Dame Judi's Wild adventure

SHE’S NEARLY BLIND, BUT SHE REFUSES TO LET THAT STOP HER

- Marc Baker

Dame Judi Dench has opened up about the challenges of getting older and her battle to stay on top in her 60th year as one of the world’s biggest acting stars.

In a wide-ranging interview, the British stage and screen star, who turns 85 on December 9, admits she is fearful for the future, revealing, “People say, ‘Why don’t you retire?’ all the time. But we don’t even allow that word to be said in our family.

“People retire to paint or walk, to do the things they’ve wanted to do all their lives. I’m doing what I’ve really wanted to do all my life, and I don’t want to stop, thank you very much.”

Judi, who shares her life with conservationist David Mills (76), says losing her eyesight is the biggest challenge she’s facing, but she won’t allow it to get her down. The actress, who is set to star in a new film based on the West End musical Cats, suffers from macular degeneration, which can eventually lead to irreversible vision loss.

“A couple of years ago, I stopped driving,” she says, “which was one of the most traumatic moments of my life. It was absolutely appalling.

“But I just know I’ll kill somebody if I get behind the wheel of a car now. I can’t read the paper now, I can’t do the crossword, I can’t read a book. But, you know, you cope.