Judi Dench wasn’t "prepared" to find a new boyfriend.
The ‘Skyfall’ actress – who lost her husband, Michael Williams, to lung cancer in 2001 – is currently dating David Mills and revealed that "never even for a second … not for a single second" did she think she would have another relationship after Michael.
She said: "I wasn’t even prepared to be ready for it … It was very gradual and grown up. We got together, in a way, through the animals. It’s just wonderful."
The 79-year-old actress also revealed that the couple do not live together, partly because of their busy schedules.
She explained: "We are much too independent. And he is very busy. He has a business to run.
"But he is so lovely, with a great sense of humour. Now it’s absolutely wonderful because there’s somebody who makes me laugh. Isn’t it lovely?"
Meanwhile, Judi has joked that David used to "stalk" her before they started dating.
She recalled declining his offer to open a badger enclosure soon after Michael died.
She shared to the Times magazine: "Although I was filming, I just wasn’t in good enough shape to do something like that."
Judi Dench ‘unprepared’ for new romance
