Shakespeare sonnets. The world’s biggest stages. Numerous James Bond villains. All a breeze to Dame Judi Dench. But the one thing she is frightened of? Worms. And that’s why she's never been able to get stuck in with the gardening.
Despite having some of the most enchanting gardens and woodlands in her Surrey estate, Judi made a surprising confession to Jo Whiley on the RHS Roots visual podcast, telling Jo, "I don’t like gardening at all".
Her oasis of trees, woodland and sprawling gardens brings "hope and joy" to the acting titan as she faces deteriorating eyesight and health in her 90s, but Judi’s fear of worms has always meant the garden maintenance has been outsourced.
She tells Jo, "I don't like gardening at all… I can't do gardening because the only thing I'm frightened of is worms.
"It comes from being at my kindergarten school in York. I jumped in the garden in wet weather and a worm jumped into my sandal and I couldn't get it out".
For Judi, "That was the equivalent of a snake coming".
Fortunately, over the years, the likes of her late husband, actor Michael Williams, and now her gardener Joe, have been able to create an idyllic wonderland that Judi can enjoy, without having to handle any worms.
A myriad of mighty trees define Judi's Surrey estate, and she revealed she has some pretty noteworthy additions, including one of the sycamore gap trees and she's been offered an oak from Sherwood Forest.
As well as the trees, Judi revealed she has something called the White Garden – where everything planted is white - as well as a swimming pool and an old barn.
'That's my very first memory - just lying looking up at trees.'
Dame Judi Dench
Elsewhere in their chat, the Oscar-winning icon revealed that, fear of worms aside, for most of her life, the outdoors has been a true happy place for her.
From memories of raking pears off the tree next door as a child, to being outdoors "all the time, only ever outside…" swimming in lakes, roller-skating and cycling, Judi’s love of nature has stayed with her all these years.
She still recalls fondly the Lily of the Valley that would grow in her parents' garden as a child, with Jo and Judi bonding over that shared experience where scent can unlock memories.
What’s even more remarkable is that nature seems to be the thread tying Judi’s past and present together.
Today, she plants a tree in memoriam of lost friends and family, with the likes of the late Dame Maggie Smith having a crab apple tree planted in her honour. What makes this extra special and heartfelt for Judi is that her very first memory involves a tree.
She told Jo, "Something I do remember, that I think people would dispute with me, but I remember being wheeled out in a pram under a tree
"This used to happen probably every day. That's my very, very first memory - just lying looking up at trees."
