Dame Judi Dench made a heart-breaking admission about her health on the red carpet at the royal premiere of Finding Harmony: A King’s Vision, at Windsor Castle.
It was the first premiere to be held at a royal residence and was attended by A-listers including Kate Winslet, Benedict Cumberbatch, Stanley Tucci and Sir Kenneth Branagh.
But the shutterbugs went wild when Dench arrived on Wednesday night (Thursday morning AEDT) with her partner, British conservationist David Mills, 80.
As usually happens at these things, the photographers shouted at the 91-year-old actress and asked her to “look this way please, eyes here please”, prompting the sad moment.
“I can’t see anything at all,” she told them eventually after the shouting persisted.
One photographer was quick to change tack and instead phrased it to the movie icon as, “just looking towards this voice if you could”.
Dench, who famously played M in the James Bond franchise for 20 years, was first diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration in 2012.
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The condition causes severe loss of sight, which now prevents the thespian from reading, writing, watching television and even recognising faces.
In an interview in December, the Philomena star revealed her eyesight had worsened.
She said faces can appear “in a fog” and she’s no longer able to watch TV but still listens to it.
The admission to photographers that amid the bright light and flashbulbs she was unable to “see anything at all” came as Dench arrived at the screening.
After the documentary was shown to guests the 91-year-old was among the stars who met with King Charles inside the Grand Reception Room.
Also on hand was Queen Camilla and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, who made their way down the line of celebrities.
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Dench, dressed in a black ensemble for the black-tie occasion, was positioned next to Tucci, who appeared to aid the actress.
Former F1 driver Sebastian Vettel, Sir Rod Stewart and his wife, Penny Lancaster, were also among the star-studded crowd at the premiere.
The documentary, voiced by Winslet, will appear on Amazon globally on February 6.
Nine Entertainment Co (the publisher of this website) owns and operates the streaming service Stan.
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