Revealed: Moving Reason Blind Dame Judi Dench, 90, Has Hollywood Big-Shots 'Bending Over Backwards to Keep Her in the Showbiz Game'
Dame Judi Dench has been gradually losing her vision from age-related macular degeneration.
Feb. 6 2025, Published 3:40 p.m. ET
Dame Judi Dench isn't ready to leave the glitz and glamour just yet.
While the British actress has acknowledged her fading eyesight affecting her career, insiders say Hollywood moguls are sparing no effort to keep the legendary star in the limelight, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Insiders say Hollywood isn't ready to let Dench retire due to her deteriorating eyesight.
Dench, 90, has gradually been losing her vision from age-related macular degeneration and recently admitted: "I can't even see!"
But insiders spill that doesn't mean the world has seen the last of her talent.
Some believe Dench could shift more into voice acting to be able to work remotely from home.
One source said: "Judi has so many strengths and such deep experience as a performer that it would be a shame for her to let deteriorating eyesight be the thing that forces her into retirement.
"She has an army of fans in the Hollywood studios who are doing everything they can to make sure that doesn't happen.
"The message from the industry to Judi and her team is simple: Don't give up!"
The tipster pointed out how Tinseltown has previously made concessions for talent dealing with physical challenges, such as Parkinson's patient Michael J. Fox and paralyzed Christopher Reeve.
Dench herself has said she's had friends read lines to her "over and over" to help her memorize scripts.
The insider shared: "She's turning down more work than ever. The important thing is that the offers are still flowing, and people are still thinking of Judi when a great script comes across their desk.
"If she does make good on her promise to retire, it won't be because the work is drying up!"
The spy even suggested Dench could do animation voiceovers because they can be done "remotely from home."
Dench herself has said she's had friends read lines to her 'over and over' to help her memorize scripts.
Dench has been open about her worsening condition, which impacts over 700,000 people in the U.K.
She previously discussed her worsening eyesight with Louis Theroux in 2022, saying: "I don't want to retire. I’m not doing much at the moment because I can’t see. It’s bad."
She added: "I have a photographic memory, so a person saying to me, 'This is your line …' I can do that."
In a 2023 interview, she shared she’s still trying to find solutions, but "I can’t see on a film set any more" … "and I can’t see to read. But you just deal with it.”
She continued: "It's difficult if I have any length of a part. I haven't yet found a way."
The actress' last screen role was a cameo in 2022’s Spirited.
RadarOnline.com reported on Dench's wellbeing back in November, with insiders saying the Dame had gone downhill since losing her friend and frequent co-star Maggie Smith.
One source said: "She's been spiraling since losing her friend. This loss has hit Judi very hard, and it underlines the dangers of her living-to-work philosophy.
Never Miss an
Daily updates from the heart of Hollywood, right to your inbox
By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you’re agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Dench reportedly struggled hard with the loss of her friend and co-star Maggie Smith.
"Losing Maggie is enough to make Judi reevaluate her packed filming schedule and slow down and finally smell the roses.
"As much as she loves the work, she wants to appreciate all her other friends who are still here. Maggie's death has put Judi in a morbid frame of mind!"
They added how Smith's unexpected passing put Dench in a "tailspin," believing the actress was "bound to make different choices going forward."
The insider also pointed out how work has long been "cathartic" to Dench, who's "a global treasure of the film community" – especially in the years after the 2001 death of her husband, actor Michael Williams.
