Judi Dench wells up sharing the sweet gesture her late husband Michael Williams made buying her a rose every week during their 30 year marriage

Published: 10:51 EDT, 6 November 2026 | Updated: 10:54 EDT, 6 November 2026 Dame Judi Dench became emotional as she revealed the touching gesture her late husband Michael Williams made every week during their marriage.The actress, 91, is set to appear on Friday's episode of The Graham Norton Show where she discusses her memoir Is it too Late to Make a Run for it?During her appearance on the chat show, she was asked about her husband who features in the book and shared a sweet anecdote. Looking teary, Dame Judi said: 'He sent me a rose every Friday of our marriage and we were married for thirty years less 10 days.' Judi, who lives with severe, progressive central vision loss, wrote the memoir with her friend, actor and director Brendan O'Hea.Speaking about their experience, she says: 'He wrote it by stealth – we are such great friends that he sort of crept up on me. I have no idea how long it took to write. We would just chat and he would write.' Dame Judi Dench became emotional as she revealed the touching gesture her late husband Michael Williams made every week during their marriage The actress, 91, is set to appear on Friday's episode of The Graham Norton Show where she discusses her memoir Is it too Late to Make a Run for it? (pictured 1999)She is joined on the sofa by Alan Cumming, Bridgerton's Nicola Coughlan, Severance star Tramell Tillman, and singer songwriter James Blunt.It's not the first time that Dame Judi has opened up about her marriage as late last year in a candid documentary.Dame Judi sat down with her long-term friend Kenneth Branagh, 65, to open up her 'little black book' in Tea with Judi – a programme that blends personal anecdotes with rarely seen archive material to chart her extraordinary life and career.The special saw Judi open the doors to her stunning country home to a series of fellow national treasures.Judi and Michael were married for just shy of three decades when he lost his battle to lung cancer at the age of 65 in 2001 and share a daughter, Finty Williams, now 54.Drawing attention to a painting of Judi's late husband, who was best known for voicing Dr Watson in the BBC radio adaptation of Sherlock Holmes, Kenneth says: 'I want to ask you about this painting, Jude, because it's such a fantastic likeness of the brilliant Mr Michael Williams.'A tearful Judi replies: 'Michael and I were married just short of 30 years when he died in 2001. Look at that, Kenneth. I mean, you knew him. That's so, it's brilliantly painted. I love it, I really love it.' She is joined on the sofa by Alan Cumming, Bridgerton's Nicola Coughlan Severance star Tramell Tillman, and singer songwriter James Blunt It's not the first time that Dame Judi has opened up about her marriage as late last in a candid documentary Judi and Michael were married for just shy of three decades when he lost his battle to lung cancerat the age of 65 in 2001 and share a daughter, Finty Williams, now 54Judi and Kenneth then went on to have a discussion about her experience working with her late husband on The Merchant of Venice shortly after their 1971 wedding, when she stepped into the shoes of Portia and he played Bassanio.This was something that Kenneth could also relate to as he went on to work with Michael himself in the film Henry V, where he portrayed a soldier with his very name – Michael Williams. Kenneth, who played King Henry V of England in the film, admits thinking: 'Now that's a very talented young actor! He had such tact and he had such a sort of strong and, as it happened, very masculine presence.'And very, he had that incredible sort of movie star jaw and those piercing eyes. He was a handsome lad, wasn't he?'Judi replies: 'He was.'