Samantha Davis, wife of Harry Potter star Warwick Davis, has died at the age of 53.
"Her passing has left a huge hole in our lives as a family. I miss her hugs," Warwick said as he announced his wife's death on Wednesday night in a heartfelt tribute. He went on to describe his late spouse as his "most trusted confidant and an ardent supporter of everything I did in my career".
"She was a unique character, always seeing the sunny side of life she had a wicked sense of humour and always laughed at my bad jokes," he added in the statement shared with the BBC. Samantha and Warwick's children Harrison and Annabelle also paid tribute, saying their late mother's "love and happiness carried us through our whole lives".
"Mum is our best friend and we're honoured to have received a love like hers," Harrison and Annabelle added. "With her by my side, I was sure I could achieve anything, it was like having a super-power," Warwick continued with his tribute. "Without Sammy, there would have been no Tenable quiz show, no Willow series. No Idiot Abroad Series 3. She was passionate about helping people, without judgment. She had time for everyone and a genuine listening ear."
Samantha's cause of death has not yet been disclosed.
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Tributes poured in for Samantha as fans reacted to the sad news. One said: "Lucky enough over the years to meet all of the Davis family... genuinely shocked to hear about Samantha Davis ( wife of Warwick) Condolences to all of them. To lose a wife and a mum .Samantha... Godspeed on your next great journey." Another added: "This is so sad. Met both Warwick and Samantha Davis, and they both seemed wonderful. Can't imagine the pain he is going through."
Warwick Davis and his two children shared an emotional statement as they announced Samantha's death on Wednesday night (Variety via Getty Images)Someone else commented: "I’m so genuinely sad to read about the death of Samantha Davis, wife of Warwick Davis. I’m so sorry for his and his families loss. Terrible news. They looked like such a close couple with their lovely family. May she rest in peace xxx." A fourth wrote: "The most terrible news. I’m thinking of Warwick and his family at the current time. You couldn’t have met nicer people. 53 is too damn young too. Sad. R.I.P. Samantha Davis." Disney also paid tribute as they said Samantha was "beloved member of the UK film and TV community". They added: "Our thoughts are with the Davis family during this difficult time".
In Warwick's final Instagram post before Samantha's tragic death, the couple posed for a selfie together on October 5th last year. They both beamed at the camera as they snuggled into each other for the snap. In the caption, he wrote: "A long overdue date night with my beautiful wife. She felt a bit overdressed for. mcDonald’s!" Warwick added a laugh crying emoji and a love heart eye emoji.
Samantha, who was born on January 30, 1971, as Samantha D. Burroughs, had achondroplasia, a bone growth disorder that causes disproportionate dwarfism. She was known for her roles in Through the Dragon's Eye, ShortFellas and Honky Sausages and even had an uncredited role alongside her husband in 1988 movie Willow.
It was on the set of Willow that Samantha and Warwick first met as teenagers. Warwick was just 17 and already a star from his role as Ewok Wicket in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. Samantha, then 16, was the daughter of Peter Burroughs, a co-star in Willow, where Warwick landed the lead role opposite Val Kilmer.
Their love story began on set, where Samantha was an extra, leading to four years of dating before they married in 1991. In a touching birthday message, Samantha once praised her husband as "You are the bravest, most caring and sensitive person I know," adding, "You amaze us all everyday with your courage and strength. I love you to the moon and back. Always and forever yours."
Samantha has died at the age of 53 (PA)
The couple share children Annabel and Harrison (Getty)Samantha's death follows her 2019 battle with sepsis. Warwick later went on to recall how Samantha's health dramatically declined ahead of a family caravan holiday. The grief-stricken father later reflected on the traumatic time, saying: "The next few hours were the longest of my life as I waited on the ward with our children in the empty space left by Sam's hospital bed." He added: "I hoped it would not symbolise a future for us without her."
Throughout her lifetime, Sam bravely underwent numerous operations due to her debilitating condition. Shockingly, it's believed she contracted the deadly bacterial infection, sepsis, after undergoing tedious decompression surgery on her spine. Previously, Samantha described her ordeal: "We went home a week later and suddenly I couldn't feel my legs. I thought I was still recovering from the surgery so I went to bed, but the next day I felt awful, as though I had been hit by a truck."
"I stayed in bed all day while Warwick and Harrison went to a family party and the next morning I woke at 4am feeling even worse." She recalled her deteriorating condition, "As the day went on I couldn't concentrate, I lay on the sofa and when I tried to get up I collapsed on the floor."
Warwick was born with Spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita (SED), an extremely rare genetic form of dwarfism. It was inherited by their children Annabelle and Harrison. The actor has previously shared how the combination of both his and Samantha's conditions resulted in the deaths of two of their babies.
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Their son Lloyd sadly died nine days after he was born as his lungs were too small to support normal function. They also lost son George when Samantha was 19 weeks pregnant. "Prior to Annabelle and Harrison we had a baby boy, Lloyd, who inherited both our conditions… and that is something that proves fatal," he told Bear Grylls in a 2019 TV special. It’s something that a baby won’t survive. But Lloyd survived for nine days, but yeah he was beautiful. It was a tough time. And yeah, we had a stillborn too. That kind of stuff just makes you stronger."
Warwick, who is the co-founder of charity Little People UK alongside wife Samatha, has opened up on the health battles related to his condition, as well his wife's. He told the Guardian in 2015: “You look at somebody with dwarfism, the first thing that strikes you is probably that they’re short, and that’s it. But that’s the tip of the iceberg. It gets worse. Could be a cleft palate, hearing loss – or you end up in a wheelchair.
“As you get older, it gets worse,” he said. “My hips are dislocated. Very painful knees. There’s a risk of retinal detachment, but I know the signs now. And then, yeah, you wake up, the alarm goes, it takes a good half hour to get moving, we’re both like, ‘Uggggh.’ Imagine the worst flu you’ve had, every day – it’s like that.”
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