News | Entertainment
2 Dec 2025 4:30
NZCity News
NZCity CalculatorReturn to NZCity

  • Start Page
  • Personalise
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • Finance
  • Shopping
  • Jobs
  • Horoscopes
  • Lotto Results
  • Photo Gallery
  • Site Gallery
  • TVNow
  • Dating
  • SearchNZ
  • NZSearch
  • Crime.co.nz
  • RugbyLeague
  • Make Home
  • About NZCity
  • Contact NZCity
  • Your Privacy
  • Advertising
  • Login
  • Join for Free

  •   Home > News > Entertainment

    Dame Judi Dench's sight loss is now so advanced she needs a guide when she leaves her house

    The veteran actress, 90, first revealed in 2012 she is suffering with macular degeneration in her eyes, which can cause permanent and rapid central vision loss and is the number one cause of vision loss in people over 50


    She has now given a bleak update on her condition, admitting on the new episode of Trinny Woodall's 'Fearless' podcast: "Somebody will always be with me. I have to now because I can't see and I will walk into something or fall over.

    "I'm always nervous before going to something.

    "I have no idea why... I'm not good at being on my own at all, nor would I be now.

    "And fortunately, I don't have to now because I pretend to have no eyesight."

    During a 2021 event for the London-based Vision Foundation, Judi opened up about how she has been battling to read scripts due to her rapidly fading vision.

    She said: "You find a way of just getting about and getting over the things that you find very difficult.

    "I've had to find another way of learning lines and things, which is having great friends of mine repeat them to me over and over and over again.

    "So I have to learn through repetition, and I just hope that people won't notice too much if all the lines are completely hopeless!"

    Judi also told 'The Graham Norton Show' about how she battles to memorise lines as she used to rely on her photographic memory.

    She added: "I need to find a machine that not only teaches me my lines but also tells me where they appear on the page.

    "I used to find it very easy to learn lines and remember them. I could do the whole of 'Twelfth Night' right now."

    © 2025 Bang Showbiz, NZCity

     Other Entertainment News
     01 Dec: Brian Austin Green and Vanessa Marcil "stay out of each other's way"
     01 Dec: Megan Moroney cancelled her vacation in order to perform with Ed Sheeran
     01 Dec: Sir Elton John has endured a "challenging" 15 months since losing sight in his right eye
     01 Dec: Nicole Kidman feels actors and actresses are "always on the precipice" of stardom
     01 Dec: Simon Cowell thinks Kelly Clarkson was the "perfect winner" of American Idol
     01 Dec: A beloved prop from Wes Anderson's 2012 film Moonrise Kingdom has been stolen from his home
     01 Dec: Dougray Scott's life has been "immeasurably better" since he gave up alcohol
     Top Stories

    RUGBY RUGBY
    New Zealand Formula One driver Liam Lawson is determined to finish the season on a high More...


    BUSINESS BUSINESS
    People waiting for big banks to cut fixed mortgage rates after last week's Official Cash rate cut - might be out of luck More...



     Today's News

    Soccer:
    The Matildas may be set to unleash a not-so-secret weapon on the Football Ferns in tomorrow night's return friendly in Adelaide 21:57

    Entertainment:
    Brian Austin Green and Vanessa Marcil "stay out of each other's way" 21:32

    Auckland:
    Four people have been injured - two critically - in a crash that's closed part of State Highway One north of Auckland at Wellsford 21:17

    Entertainment:
    Megan Moroney cancelled her vacation in order to perform with Ed Sheeran 21:02

    Entertainment:
    Sir Elton John has endured a "challenging" 15 months since losing sight in his right eye 20:32

    National:
    ‘It’s wanting to know that makes us matter’: how Tom Stoppard made us all philosophers 20:17

    National:
    Best books of 2025: our experts share their picks 20:07

    Entertainment:
    Nicole Kidman feels actors and actresses are "always on the precipice" of stardom 20:02

    Entertainment:
    Simon Cowell thinks Kelly Clarkson was the "perfect winner" of American Idol 19:32

    Entertainment:
    A beloved prop from Wes Anderson's 2012 film Moonrise Kingdom has been stolen from his home 19:02


     News Search






    Power Search


    © 2025 New Zealand City Ltd