Judi Dench reveals sweet gesture late husband did during marriage

A quarter of a century after his death, Dame Judi Dench has lifted the lid on her marriage to fellow actor, Michael Williams.

The pair tied the knot in 1971, the same year that they starred alongside one another in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of The Duchess of Malfi.

Now, in a new and rare insight into their relationship, Judi revealed the sweet weekly gesture Michael did throughout their relationship.

Speaking on tonight’s (6 November) episode of The Graham Norton Show, the actor shared, ‘He sent me a rose every Friday of our marriage and we were married for thirty years, less 10 days.’

Dame Judi Dench and Michael Williams on their wedding day in 1971

Elsewhere, Judi, 91, admitted, ‘I still miss him. Even now, 25 years on, I imagine he's going to walk in through the front door.’

The couple had one child, daughter Finty who has followed in her parents’ footsteps and is also an actor. However, the star confessed that they’d hoped to have more.

‘Michael and I said, “We're going to have six children,” she recalled before adding, ‘We had one, beautiful Finty, and we didn't have the other five; it just didn't happen. I worked a lot. I suppose you don't stop to consider, really.’

When asked what the foundation of their relationship was, Judi previously said ‘It was a sense of humour.’

She added, ‘Oh, God, how he used to make me laugh. He used to make me absolutely howl.’

While Judi later moved on, embarking on a relationship with conservationist David Mills in 2010, she confessed that she believes that Michael’s ghost regularly visits her at the home they once shared.

‘His presence is very much in our house, and the garden and everything.’

She added, ‘Although I have met David… And that's just lovely because we laugh about the same things. I suspect I shall never ever get over Mikey.’

The Graham Norton Show airs tonight on BBC One and iPlayer at 10.40pm.

Ariana is a celebrity and entertainment writer working across Woman, woman&home, womanandhome.com, Woman’s Own and Woman’s Weekly. She began her journalism career doing freelance work for Now Magazine while studying for her undergraduate English degree. When she’s not rubbing shoulders with and interviewing A-listers, you’ll find Ariana visiting London’s trendiest venues, most often wearing pink and drinking overpriced wine.