Dame Judi Dench turns 88, reflects on finding ‘grown-up’ love with David Mills in her silver years

Dame Judi Dench turns 88, reflects on finding ‘grown-up’ love with David Mills in her silver years
Dame Judi Dench and David Mills have reportedly been dating for about a decade (Ian Gavan/Getty Images)

SURREY, ENGLAND: Legendary actress Dame Judi Dench "wasn't even prepared" about finding love again after the death of her husband Michael Williams after almost 30 years of marriage as she celebrated her 88th birthday on December 9. Dench met her husband Williams in 1971 while they were at the Royal Shakespeare Company and immediately fell in love with her. He asked Dench to marry him the same year they first met, but she declined.

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She admitted it was the wrong time and place when discussing the rejection in an interview. She said, "Mike got a plane and flew out to see us all. It was a saving grace, really. Then he said, 'Will you marry me?' and I said, 'Will you please ask me on a rainy day in Battersea?' Then it would feel real. So that's what happened."

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