She has read thousands of scripts in a career spanning almost six decades, but Dame Judi Dench has revealed that she still takes the time to keep her mind active by memorising a new poem every day.
The Oscar-winning actress commits a different verse to memory or learns a new word to help bolster her brain as she approaches her 80th birthday.
She revealed the technique after being asked what tricks she employed to keep her grey cells functioning as part of a YouGov poll that looked at attitudes towards ageing.
Her love of verse is well documented. At this year’s Stratford-upon-Avon Poetry Festival she spoke about how poetry had permeated her family life. Asked if she had grown up with it, she said: “Absolutely