Dame Judi Dench was fighting back tears as she witnessed rare golden eagles.
The 88-year-old Oscar winner, who previously stated she had macular degeneration and cannot see on set, observed the elusive birds through a special camera to help her vision.
The romantic occasion will be filmed in an upcoming special episode of BBC’s Countryfile, in which the James Bond actor will explore Scotland’s natural splendour alongside Strictly Come Dancing champion Hamza Yassin.
In a poignant sequence, the wildlife camera operator puts a blanket around Dame Judi’s head and the camera to improve the clarity of the image of the golden eagles, which causes the Shakespeare in Love actress to squeal with glee.
Dame Judi nearly jumps out of her chair in excitement after clocking the birds for the first time, and she tries to find the words to convey how she feels about accomplishing one of her life’s goals.
A tearful woman is still in disbelief. As the dance champion wonders whether she’s OK owing to her emotional reaction, Dame Judi describes the sighting as “breathtaking.”
‘Yes. I’m very overcome,’ she responds. ‘It is an enormous privilege. How often does anybody see that? Not very often.’
‘There are few people in the UK who can say they’ve seen a golden eagle in the wild,’ Hamza explains.
The RSPB reports that golden eagles are only found in ‘poor density’ in isolated parts of the Scottish Highlands and the majority of the Hebrides.
Dame Judi previously said her eyesight deterioration made it ‘difficult’ for her to have sizeable parts in acting but vowed keep working ‘as much as I can’.
According to the NHS website, age-related macular degeneration affects the centre of a person’s vision and is most frequent in those in their 50s and 60s.
It does not result in absolute blindness, but it can make ordinary tasks like reading and identifying faces difficult.
Dame Judi previously stated that she was anxious for a gadget to assist her in reading scripts.
‘It has become impossible and because I have a photographic memory, I need to find a machine that not only teaches me my lines but also tells me where they appear on the page,’ she revealed during an appearance on The Graham Norton Show in February.
‘I used to find it very easy to learn lines and remember them. I could do the whole of Twelfth Night right now,’ she remarked (and wouldn’t we love to hear that!).
up another Countryfile episode, Dame Judi is visited by her grandson Sam to check up on a tartan that is being constructed for her, with each thread telling a personal narrative, and she has a traditional picnic involving langoustines in the grounds of Inveraray Castle.
Countryfile Dame Judi Dench Special airs on Sunday 3rd September at 7:00pm on BBC One.
Source My Celebrity Life.