(Image: Robert Wilson / PA Wire)
A British film and theatre titan born in York - with more than seven decades of work behind her - has revealed she has no plans to retire and hopes to work until her final days.
Woman and Home reports Dame Judi Dench, the 91-year-old actress, who was born in Heworth and attend The Mount School in York, shared her candid reflections in her new autobiography, Is It Too Late to Make a Run for It? - serialised in The Times.
It reported Dame Judi said in the book: "Retire, vintage, old – let’s banish those words.
"I want to be like Newton Blick, who died in his dressing room after a performance."
Dame Judi Dench’s new memoir is published in the UK on Thursday, 22 October 2026.
Publisher Penguin books said: "with her actor's gift for storytelling, she takes us back to her upbringing in York; the parents who shaped her, the brother who encouraged her to act and the teachers who inspired her."
Known for roles in James Bond, Cranford, and an Oscar-winning role on the film Shakespeare in Love, Dame Judi also joked about her reputation as a "national treasure"— a label she strongly dislikes - to the biography's co-writer, and friend, Brendan O'Hea, according to a report by Woman and Home.
She said: "Makes me sound like a dusty old relic that’s been stuffed away in the back of the cupboard, along with some dinosaur fossils and a broken Roman shield."
Woman and Home said in the autobiography, Dame Judi reflects on the effects of ageing on her career and personal life, including her struggle with macular degeneration, a condition that has left her nearly blind.
She said: "I’m quite good at acting as if I can see.
"But then people think I’m cutting them dead when I don’t smile or recognise them.
"I’ve had to find a different method of learning lines because even with the script blown up, I struggle.
"It’s made me realise I have a photographic memory and so not being able to see the pattern of words on the page makes things really difficult."
Despite these challenges, Woman and Home said she remains determined to continue working and said that with support from friends and enough preparation time, she can still perform.
Her resilience and humour shine through as she was said to describe the only benefit of getting older.
She said: "They give you a dressing room nearer the stage.
"Otherwise, forget it.
"And you have to contend with people asking, 'When are you going to retire?' or, 'Isn’t it about time you put your feet up?'
"No, it bloody well isn’t."
Dame Judi also shared more of her ambitions, even as she is in her 90s.
She said: "I want to be one of those women who throw themselves out of planes when they’re 100."
Woman and Home said the autobiography offers a glimpse into the life and mindset of one of Britain’s most celebrated performers and highlights her unwavering passion for the craft and refusal to let age define her.