17 April 2024 , 21:51
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Warwick Davis has paid a heartfelt tribute to his wife Samantha, alongside their two children.
The Harry Potter actor shared the devastating news his wife and mum-of-two had died aged 53. 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. Their love story began on set, where Samantha, then 16, was an extra, leading to four years of dating before they married in 1991. They went on to welcome son Harrison and daughter Annabelle.
Warwick issued an emotional statement as he said: "Her passing has left a huge hole in our lives as a family. I miss her hugs." He described Sammy, as he called her, as his "most trusted confidant and an ardent supporter of everything I did in my career". The actor added: "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.
Harrison and Annabelle joined their father in paying tribute and said "her 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," they added. Warwick continued: "With her by my side, I was sure I could achieve anything, it was like having a super-power. Without Sammy, there would have been no Tenable quiz show, no Willow series. No Idiot Abroad Series 3."
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Warwick, Harrison and Annabelle paid a touching tribute to Samantha (WireImage)He added it had been his wife who persuaded comedian Ricky Gervais to send him with Karl Pilkington for the travel series. The couple founded the charity Little People UK in 2012, where they helped individuals with dwarfism and their families. "She was passionate about helping people, without judgment. She had time for everyone and a genuine listening ear," the Tenable host said.
Mr Davis shared his wife's mobility had become impaired in recent years but she was "determined that it would not impact her quality of life". Samantha's death follows her 2019 battle with health /what- sepsis -signs-symptoms-treatment-7246541>sepsis. Her health dramatically declined ahead of a family caravan holiday. Warwick previously said: "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. I hoped it would not symbolise a future for us without her."
It's believed she contracted the deadly bacterial infection, sepsis, after undergoing decompression surgery on her spine. Samantha said: "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."
The actor has previously shared how the combination of both his and Samantha's conditions resulted in the deaths of two of their babies. 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.