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Samantha Davis, the wife of Harry Potter and Star Wars actor Warwick Davis, has died aged 53.
Warwick shared the news in a statement, revealing his wife of 32 years, whom he met on the set of Ron Howard’s 1988 fantasy film Willow, had died on 24 March.
Samantha, who also featured in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 (2011) alongside Warwick, was the co-founder of dwarfism charity Little People UK.
Warwick said Samantha’s death “has left a huge hole in our lives as a family” in a statement to the BBC, adding: “I miss her hugs.”
The Life’s Too Short actor, who also hosted ITV game shows Celebrity Squares and Tenable, described Samantha has his “most trusted confidant and an ardent supporter of everything I did in my career”, and hailed her as “a unique character, always seeing the sunny side of life”.
“She had a wicked sense of humour and always laughed at my bad jokes”.
Their two children together, Annabelle and Harrison, also paid tribute to their mother, saying: “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.”
In an interview with People in 2022, Warwick opened up about the grief he and Samantha went through after their first son died shortly after he was born due to complications from the dwarfism genes he inherited from both of his parents.
He told the US outlet: “I think it brings you closer together, or something like that. But it’s an experience I wouldn’t wish on anyone. It’s devastating.”
A few years later they experienced more heartbreak when Samantha had a miscarriage with their second child.
They later welcomed their daughter Annabelle and son Harrison, with Warwick saying the couple loved their children “all that more because they’re here with us”.
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Annabelle, 27, has followed in her parents’ acting footsteps, starring in CBBC’s The Dumping Ground and Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks.
Warwick starred as the titular hero Willow Ufgood in the 1988 original film Willow and reprised the role for the 2022 reboot.
He also played several characters in the Star Wars film series.
Samantha and Warwick co-founded Little People UK in 2012 to help individuals with dwarfism and their families.
