Who is Judi Dench’s partner David Mills?
Emma Newman
Updated on January 02, 2026
David Mills is the partner of Dame Judi Dench a British actress widely regarded as one of Britain’s best actresses.
The couple met when Mills invited her to open a squirrel enclosure at the wildlife centre he runs near her home in Surrey.
Judi Dench’s partner David Mills started his career working as a dairy farmer, winning numerous awards for his herd of pedigree cows, before going on to be awarded an MBE in 2016 for his services to wildlife conservation.
He founded the British Wildlife Centre conservation centre, which is home to an array of wildlife and holds the title of the UK’s biggest red squirrel breeder.
In a 2014 interview with The Times magazine, Dame Judi Dench discussed how she never expected to find love again after her husband’s death and said, “I wasn’t even prepared to be ready for it. It was very, very gradual and grown up. It’s just wonderful.”
The couple has been together since 2010. In an interview with Good Housekeeping Magazine, she shared that they discussed marriage before deciding it wasn’t for them. “We talked about marriage but I think we are far better off as we are as we have got two separate houses.
