DEVASTATING LOSS
Warwick Davis paid tribute to ‘beautiful wife’ Samantha on date night in final picture before her tragic death
The Harry Potter star announced her death in a heartbreaking statement, saying 'I miss her hugs'
WARWICK Davis paid tribute to his "beautiful wife" in their heartbreaking final public picture together.
The actor announced the tragic death of Samantha in a moving statement last night. She was just 53.
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The most recent snap on Warwick's Instagram page was shared six months ago and showed the couple on a date night.
Alongside the smiley selfie, he wrote: "A long overdue date night with my beautiful wife. She felt a bit overdressed for McDonald’s."
Their fans complimented them both calling them "awesome" and a "lovely couple".
Last night, devastated Warwick told fans that Samantha died on March 24.
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He said: "Her passing has left a huge hole in our lives as a family. I miss her hugs.
"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.
"Without Sammy, there would have been no Tenable quiz show, no Willow series. No Idiot Abroad Series 3."
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The Harry Potter star his late wife was his "most trusted confidant and an ardent supporter of everything I did in my career".
The couple's children, Harrison and Annabelle, added: "Mum is our best friend and we're honoured to have received a love like hers
"Her love and happiness carried us through our whole lives".
Warwick Davis wife's near fatal Sepsis battle
Samantha met Warwick on the set of Willow in 1988 where he starred as lead character Willow Ufgood aged just 17.
She was an extra in the film alongside her dad Peter who later became Warwick's business partner.
The pair quickly fell in love, dating for four years before tying the knot in 1991.
She later became known for her roles in Through the Dragon's Eye, ShortFellas and Honky Sausages.
Samantha had achondroplasia, a bone growth disorder that causes disproportionate dwarfism.
Sam once highlighted their unique romance with a tribute to her “beautiful inside and out” husband in a heartwarming birthday message.
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She wrote: "You are the bravest, most caring and sensitive person I know.
"You amaze us all everyday with your courage and strength. I love you to the moon and back. Always and forever yours."
To mark her birthday, Warwick also tweeted a tribute to his "beautiful wife".
He added: “I so admire how she faces life’s challenges with dignity, energy & courage – she’s an inspiration."
Warwick was born with Spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita (SED), an extremely rare genetic form of dwarfism, which has been inherited by both their daughter Annabelle and son Harrison.
Their dad has previously spoken movingly about how the combination of both his and Samantha's conditions have resulted in the deaths of two of their babies.
The first, Lloyd, sadly died after nine days as his lungs were too small to support normal function.
They also lost another 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."
Warwick insisted the tragedies brought him closer to his wife, and said: "That kind of stuff just makes you stronger."
HEALTH BATTLES
Warrick has previously opened up about his wife's health after she was rushed to hospital with sepsis in 2018.
The actor told The Sun that her health dramatically declined ahead of a family caravan holiday.
He spoke of the horror a few years later and 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.”
What are the symptoms of sepsis?
SEPSIS is a life-threatening reaction to an infection that happens when your immune system overreacts and starts to damage your body's own tissues and organs.
Symptoms of sepsis in an adult include:
- Acting confused, slurred speech or not making sense
- Blue, grey, pale or blotchy skin, lips or tongue – on brown or black skin, this may be easier to see on the palms of the hands or soles of the feet
- A rash that does not fade when you roll a glass over it, the same as meningitis
- Difficulty breathing, breathlessness or breathing very fast
Symptoms in a child include:
- Blue, grey, pale or blotchy skin, lips or tongue – on brown or black skin, this may be easier to see on the palms of the hands or soles of the feet
- A rash that does not fade when you roll a glass over it, the same as meningitis
- Difficulty breathing (you may notice grunting noises or their stomach sucking under their ribcage), breathlessness or breathing very fast
- A weak, high-pitched cry that's not like their normal cry
- Not responding like they normally do, or not interested in feeding or normal activities
- Being sleepier than normal or having difficulty waking
They may not have all these symptoms.
If you think you or someone else has symptoms of sepsis, call 999 or go to A&E.
Source: NHS
Samantha had numerous operations throughout in her lifetime due to her condition.
It is thought she contracted sepsis after a decompression surgery on her spine.
Samantha said previously: "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.
“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, co-founder of charity Little People UK, has often spoken out about 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.”
Diagnosed with SED at birth, Warwick's parents were told he would never walk and would be dead by his teens.
The star endured painful operations on his legs and feet throughout childhood.
He said: "As you get older, it gets worse. My hips are dislocated. Very painful knees.
"There’s a risk of retinal detachment, but I know the signs now.
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"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."
Samantha's struggles
- Samantha and Warwick lost their baby Lloyd just nine days after he was born in 1991 after inheriting dwarfism from both his parents caused complications.
- The couple lost a second child when Samantha miscarried at 20 weeks in 1993, with the couple naming the baby George.
- Samantha suffered another two miscarriages before giving birth to Annabelle and Harrison.
- The actress underwent numerous surgeries in her lifetime due to her achondroplasia, a bone growth disorder that causes disproportionate dwarfism.
- In 2019, she was raced to hospital after complications following a decompression surgery on her spine.
- She had contracted life-threatening sepsis and Warwick was preparing himself to say 'goodbye'.
- The infection causes the body’s immune system to go into overdrive and attack tissues and organs, which can be lethal and lead to amputations.
- Sam survived but had it not been for her medical team acting so quickly, she could have lost fingers, toes or limbs.
- After being discharged, Warwick 'played doctor' for three months - mixing vials of antibiotics, loading them into syringes and carefully feeding them into Sam’s heart through a drip.
- In March 2024, it was announced Samantha had sadly passed away.