Judi Dench awed by Jack Nicholson

Dame Judi Dench turned into a "silly teenager" when she met Jack Nicholson.

The 80-year-old actress was "bowled over" when she met the 'Shining' star at an awards ceremony and admitted she was like a "jelly" in his presence.

She said: "I had to go to the Oscars a while ago and Jack Nicholson walked past me. I couldn't believe it.

"You know how, in your mind, these famous actors are always huge - they're vast - well he wasn't actually that tall.

"But I was still completely bowled over. I got a bit silly, like a teenager. I had just presented an award and he walked past and said, 'Good job Jude'. I pretended to be all suave and worldly but actually I was like a jelly inside."

The 'Skyfall' star - whose husband Michael Williams died of cancer in 2001 - may have been acting for several decades, but she admits to still being afflicted by stage fright, though she tries to use it to her advantage.

She told Stylist magazine: "Lots and lots of things scare me, but you just get on with it.

"Fright can transform into petrol. I get stage fright all the time; the more I cat, the more I feel it. But you just have to use it to your advantage.

"Like grief, fear engenders a huge amount of energy and you have to make it work for the better, otherwise you'd crumble."