Dave J Hogan/Getty ImagesJudi Dench is nothing if not determined. Though she recently underwent knee replacement surgery, the English actress had every intention of walking the red carpet at the premiere of her latest movie, Philomena—and that's exactly what she did.
The 78-year-old Academy Award winner gave herself just six weeks to recover. "When I had it done on September 6, I said to my surgeon, 'On October 16 I will walk up a red carpet unaided', and so I did," Dench told The Daily Mirror. "You set your mind to a goal and go for it."
"I have a completely new knee now," the movie star added. "It's brilliant."
Wearing an embroidered kaftan over a pair of dark pants, Dench posed with her costars and chatted with reporters at London's Leicester Square. And, of course, she did so without the use of a cane.
Dench also told The Daily Mirror she has no plans to retire anytime soon. "I'm not feeling my age at all. I am about 43, a tall willowy blonde 43-year-old with long legs. I don't want to slow down at all," she said. "We don't say the word retirement in our house. Old and retired are totally banned. Energy keeps me going."
"We are in the minority of people who are doing a job we chose to do and can make a living at," the Skyfall star continued. "Why aren't we running to work every day?"