British Acting Great Judi Dench’s Sad Final Days – Frail and Blind Acting Icon, 89, 'Spiralling Downhill' Since Death Of Best Friend Maggie Smith

British acting great Judi Dench remains devastated over the death of her longtime pal and frequent co-star Maggie Smith, sparking fears for the aging Oscar winner, RadarOnline.com can reveal.

"She's been spiraling since losing her friend", an insider confided. "This loss has hit Judi very hard, and it underlines the dangers of her living-to-work philosophy. 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. Maggle's death has put Judi in a morbid frame of mind!"

Dench and the beloved Harry Potter professor – who were born days apart in December 1934 – first worked together at the dawn of their storied careers and appeared in the 2011 hit The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and its 2015 sequel, The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. And sources snitched the women were friends to the end when Smith died on September 27 at age 89.

"Judl really modeled the arc of her career after Maggie", the insider remarked. "Like Maggie, Judi has continued to work well past retirement age and has made some of her biggest hits in the last 20 years."

Now, tipsters dish that Dench is consumed by grief as she endures the double blow of also losing 88-year-old friend Barbara Leigh-Hunt in the same month – nearly 30 years after the gals first appeared together in the BBC series As Time Goes By!

The insider pointed out that 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.

However, the mole added: "Maggie's unexpected passing has her in a tailspin – and she's bound to make different choices going forward!"

Have a tip? Send it to us! Email RadarOnline.com at tips@radaronline.com.