Julie Christie's secret battles to retain her memories

London, Jan 21 : English actress Julie Christie is secretly fighting a battle to retain her memories after being struck by a rare and irreversible condition.

The actress, who is 66-years-old, has been suffering from autobiographical amnesia for more than a decade, and it has left her unable to recall many facts about her past.

Julie had kept her illness under wraps, and on one of the few occasions when she had spoken publicly, she revealed how it was affecting her.

"It makes learning my lines very difficult. Because of that I've been happy to stay away from films and stage work," the Daily Express quoted her as saying.

"I have turned down a lot of offers from Hollywood producers and West End directors," she added.

Julie was named Best Actress at the strike-blighted Globes ceremony for her role as Fiona Anderson, an Alzheimer's victim, in 'Away From Her'.

Though the movie bears no relation to Julie's own private life, Fiona's inability to retain memories resonated deeply with her.

"I marvel at people with good memories but I would not like the memory of a friend, for example, who recalls everything and so is slightly blighted with persistent nostalgia," she said.

"That's a bit sad. Now I can't remember any bad things, only the good things, if I can remember anything about my past at all," she added.

Hollywood and the cast and crew of the movie 'Away From Her', knew nothing about what was going on in Christie's real life.

"I am absolutely astonished to learn this. She impressed throughout filming as nothing less than a consummate professional," a senior member of the production team said.

"My heart goes out to her. No one would guess she had any trouble remembering her lines," the member added.

ANI