Dame Judi Dench ‘bursts into tears’ when asked about death of pal Maggie Smith

The pair had been friends for seven decades.
Dames Judi Dench and Maggie Smith, who died recently, were close friends of many decades’ standing (Picture: Getty)Dame Judi Dench was reportedly reduced to tears when asked about the recent death of her close friend of many decades, Dame Maggie Smith.Dame Maggie died aged 89 on September after an illustrious career, which saw her act alongside Dame Judi several times.Bond star Dame Judi, 89, was appearing onstage for a special talk alongside Brendan O’Hea at Cheltenham Literature Festival…

Dame Judi Dench was reportedly reduced to tears when asked about the recent death of her close friend of many decades, Dame Maggie Smith.

Dame Maggie died aged 89 on September after an illustrious career, which saw her act alongside Dame Judi several times.

Bond star Dame Judi, 89, was appearing onstage for a special talk alongside Brendan O’Hea at Cheltenham Literature Festival on Saturday, to discuss her new book and career, when the topic was broached.

It was reported she was in high spirits throughout the chat – which included fun anecdotes and performances of Shakespeare speeches – until a question about grief in relation to her recent losses was raised.