Judi Dench shares how she wants to die and admits hatred for ‘nation’s treasure’ title

She may be a national treasure to most of us, but it's a term which Judi Dench certainly loathes.

Reflecting on her seven-decade acting career while promoting her upcoming memoir in a new interview with The Times, the 91-year-old likened the phrase to a 'dusty old relic'.

"[I] loathe it," 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."

While Dench, who received a damehood in 1988 for her services to entertainment, may dislike the idea of being called a national treasure, her star-studded filmography is certainly something the nation can be proud of.

After making her professional acting debut on stage in 1957, Dench is known for her role as M in eight James Bond films, as well as appearing in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Shakespeare in Love and Belfast.

The actor also wants to do away which words such as 'retire', 'vintage ', and 'old' (Samir Hussein/WireImage)

She's also been nominated for numerous awards across her glittering career, including several BAFTA and Emmy Award wins as well as an Oscar for 1999's Shakespeare in Love.

After acting for nearly seven decades, you'd be forgiven for wondering if Dench had retirement in her sights - as most of us would - but apparently not.

In fact, Dench has no plans to retire in the near future, revealing that she's fed up with people asking when she's going to call it a day.

"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," Dench said, adding that she would like to banish the words 'retire', 'vintage' and 'old' from the discussion.

So what does Dench want her twilight years to look like? According to the Notes on a Scandal star, she wants there to be plenty of action.

"I want to be like Newton Blick, who died in his dressing room after a performance," she added.

Dench, pictured as M in Casino Royale, has been in the industry for close to seven decades (Sony Pictures)

"I want to be one of those women who throw themselves out of planes when they’re 100."

Dench's determination to stay in work stands in contrast to the health struggles she's faced over the past couple of years.

In 2023, she revealed that she was struggling to read scripts after developing macular degeneration, a progressive condition which leads to a reduction in eyesight.

"I can't see on a film set anymore. And I can't see to read. So I can't see much,” she told The Mirror's Notebook magazine. "But, you know, you just deal with it. Get on."