Dame Judi Dench has claimed that she once gave the kiss of life to a small goldfish.

The 85-year-old is one of Britain's finest actresses, having won numerous Oscar, BAFTA, Olivier and Golden Globe awards in a career spanning 63 years and appearing in such films as Shakespeare In Love, Hotel Chocolat and the James Bond franchise.

During the coronavirus lockdown Dench became an unexpected TikTok star dancing with her grandson and now she has revealed another talent as a pet rescuer.

"My goldfish recently died. I once gave it the kiss of life," she told Chris Evans's How To Wow podcast.

"It died when it was very little and I gave it the kiss of life and it grew to be six inches long. We kept it in a nice tank."

Dench will be next seen opposite Jamie Dornan in Kenneth Branagh's semi-autobiographical movie Belfast.