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Dame Judi Dench, 81, Just Got a Wrist Tattoo

The Dame got inked! Dame Judi Dench just proved it’s never too late to get tatted up.

Related: PHOTOS: Celebrities' Crazy Tattoos

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel actress, 81, revealed fresh body art while attending the Prince’s Trust gala in Buckinghamshire, England, earlier this month. Dench’s design, located on the inside of her right wrist, reads “Carpe Diem,” the famous Latin phrase for “Seize the Day,” in black block letters.

Dame Judi Dench
Dame Judi Dench on the red carpet for ‘Philomena’ during the 70th Venice International Film Festival on August 31, 2013. Giulia Candussi/Corbis via Getty Images

Related: PHOTOS: See Celebs' Weird Body Art

“That’s my motto,” she told Surrey Life magazine about the tattoo, which was gifted to her by her daughter Finty Williams. “Finty gave it to me for my 81st birthday — she’s wonderful with surprises.”

Dame Judi Dench tattoo
The Earl of Wessex and Dame Judi Dench attend a Gala Evening marking the 60th anniversary of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award at Stoke Park on June 9, 2016, in Buckinghamshire, England. John Stillwell - WPA Pool/Getty Images

The permanent phrase has already made her the butt of a playful joke among friends. “Mind you, the company of A Winter’s Tale, which I was doing at the time [when I got the tattoo], used to say that it said ‘Fish of the day,'” she explained.

Dame Judi Dench daughter Finty Williams
Finty Williams and Dame Judi Dench celebrate following the live broadcast of The Donmar Warehouse’s production of ‘The Vote’ at the Ham Yard Hotel, generously supported by Chapel Down, on May 7, 2015, in London, England. David M. Benett/Getty Images

Related: Judi Dench: Daniel Craig's James Bond "Could Kill a Man"

The 007 actress has wanted a tattoo for quite a while, but previously couldn’t decide what to get. “There’s an Indian symbol that I like, which supposedly represents life and love and everything,” she told Good Housekeeping UK in January 2015 about being tempted to get the shape for her 80th birthday. “One of the cameramen who worked on The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel told me what it meant, but I’m a bit nervous in case I’m being set up … . It might be unbelievably rude!”

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