Dame Judi Dench had a “frightful fall” at home and begged her a parrot for help.

Judi Dench suffered a fall and only had her parrot for help

Judi Dench suffered a fall and only had her parrot for help

The ‘Belfast’ star - whose eyesight has deteriorated due to macular degeneration - realised her beloved pet bird Sweetheart needs to learn some new skills because although her feathered friend kept talking to her while she was on the ground, she couldn't get anyone to her aid.

She told Saga magazine: "I had a frightful fall not long ago. I tripped over the carpet, and there was nobody in the house and I was lying on the ground unable to get up for half an hour.

“I have a wonderful parrot who kept saying, ‘What are you doing? What are you doing?’

“This is when you need a very convenient parrot who would phone somebody – but she didn’t.”

Fortunately, the 87-year-old screen legend was eventually able to get herself up.

She recounted: “After half an hour, I just got up."

Judi also dismissed the idea of having a panic button set up in her house for such eventualities, telling the outlet “No, no, no, nothing like that."

The 'Philomena' actress admitted it has grown increasingly "difficult" to retain her independence.

She said: “It’s just something you have to live with. But you want to be independent – and it’s very, very difficult.”

In 2012, the ‘Chocolat’ star admitted she can no longer read scripts for herself.

She said: “I can’t read scripts any more because of the trouble with my eyes. And so somebody comes in and reads them to me, like telling me a story.

“It’s usually my daughter or my agent or a friend and actually I like that. I sit there and imagine the story in my mind.”

Judi later revealed she no longer could travel on the tube and that her ability to watch movies was fading.


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