Judi Dench puts on a brave face over Bond exit

London: Veteran actress Judi Dench was devastated when she was told `Skyfall` would be her last James Bond film, but she put on a brave face for her family and friends to keep the plot twist secret.

The 78-year-old actress played spy chief M in six 007 blockbusters before her character was killed off in her seventh film, last year`s `Skyfall`, and Dench says she was completely blindsided when producers told her the bad news, reported Daily Star. She was informed of M`s demise in a meeting with producer Barbara Broccoli and co-star Daniel Craig, but couldn`t let anyone know how upset she was as Bond bosses were determined stop the storyline leaking before the film hit cinemas. "I knew about it for quite a while before (the shoot). I went and saw Barbara Broccoli and Daniel Craig, which I thought was a nice chance meeting to have a cup of coffee, but it was straight in my face," Dench said TV host Graham Norton. "It wasn`t broken to me gently. I put a very brave face on it and didn`t tell anyone at all. People would ask, `How`s it going?` and I`d say, `Fine` and then, `Are you enjoying filming?` and I`d say, `It`s fine,` and, `Do you get out from behind the desk, and I`d say, `Yep.` It was quite hard, but it was worth keeping the secret," she added. Dench also said the cast and crew marked her exit from the franchise by giving her a surprise. "There was a big cake. I don`t remember what it said on it." PTI