Oscar-winning actor Judi Dench hinted that she might retire as she loses her eyesight.
Dench sparked speculation last week that she will end her 60-year career after being asked about any upcoming projects while attending the Chelsea Flower Show in London.
"No, no. I can't even see," Dench, 89, said, according to Deadline.
Dench, who was diagnosed with advanced macular degeneration in 2012, has openly discussed her continuing vision loss. Last year she told the Daily Mirror that she was struggling to learn acting lines.
"I can't see on a film set anymore," Dench said. "And I can't see to read, so I can't see much. But, you know, you just deal with it. Get on."
At the time, Dench said she was still hoping to continue acting, but that she may need to find new ways to learn her lines.
"It's difficult for me if I have any length of a part," she said. "I haven't yet found a way because I have so many friends who will teach me the script. But I have a photographic memory."
Dench said she can recite the entirety of William Shakespeare's play "Twelfth Night."
When Dench initially revealed her diagnosis, she assured the public that it was something that she had "learned to cope with." Her remarks came in response to speculation at the time that she was going blind.
"In response to the numerous articles in the media concerning my eye condition — macular degeneration — I do not wish for this to be overblown," Dench said in a statement to Reuters.
"This condition is something that thousands and thousands of people all over the world are having to contend with. It's something that I have learned to cope with and adapt to, and it will not lead to blindness."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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