Warwick Davis’ children have issued a heartbreaking statement after the death of their mother Samantha aged 53.
Samantha, who was an actor herself and met her husband when she had an uncredited role in his 1988 film Willow, tragically died on March 24.
The couple, who were married for over 30 years, shared children Harrison and Annabelle who said: ‘her love and happiness carried us through our whole lives’.
They added: ‘Mum is our best friend and we’re honoured to have received a love like hers.’
Meanwhile Warwick gave his own emotional tribute to his wife as he described her as his ‘favourite human’.
Warwick Davis’ children Harrison and Annabelle have issued a heartbreaking tribute to their mother Samantha after her tragic death aged 53 (pictured 2022)
Samantha, who was an actor herself and met her husband when she had an uncredited role in his 1988 film Willow, tragically died on March 24 (pictured 2011)
‘Her passing has left a huge hole in our lives as a family,’ the 54-year-old said in a statement to the BBC. ‘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’.
‘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.
The last photo of the pair sees the couple enjoying a date night out together as they beamed in a cheeky selfie.
In their final snap back in October, the pair smiled from ear to ear as Warwick joked they were heading to McDonald’s for a date night.
The Star Wars star captioned the post: ‘A long overdue date night with my beautiful wife. She felt a bit overdressed for mcDonald’s!’
Fans rushed to compliment the couple last October. They wrote: ‘You guys are just such a beautiful couple!’; ‘Enjoy warwick!!!’; ‘Looking fabulous’; ‘Awwww. No better to have a date night than McDonald’s.’
Meanwhile other fans posted their condolences on the post, which is Warwick’s most recent update on the social media app.
Harrison and Annabelle said: ‘her love and happiness carried us through our whole lives’. They added: ‘Mum is our best friend and we’re honoured to have received a love like hers’ (pictured in 2017)
Warwick’s heartbreaking final photo with his wife Samantha before her tragic death sees the couple heading on a date night back in October
The pair beamed from ear to ear as Warwick joked they were heading to McDonald’s for a date night
Warwick said he felt like he could achieve anything with his wife by his side, comparing it to the feeling of having a ‘superpower’ (pictured in 1996)
Fans rushed to compliment the couple last October and shared their condolences
They wrote: ‘Condolences to you and your family’; ‘sorry for your loss’.
Warwick said he felt like he could achieve anything with his wife by his side, comparing it to the feeling of having a ‘superpower’.
He said her mobility had become impaired in recent years but shared how she was determined not to let it bring her down.
She had a brush with death in 2019 when she fell ill with sepsis ahead of a family holiday.
Warwick previously told how he and the couple’s children ‘sort of said goodbye’ by her bedside before she pulled through.
The actor and his wife lost baby son Lloyd just nine days after he was born in 1991 – the year they got married.
He said in 2022 that he would not wish the ‘devastating’ experience on anyone and added: ‘You never get over it.’
He and Samantha met when Warwick starred as sorcerer Willow Ufgood in the 1988 film named after the character.
Samantha and her father Peter – who is Warwick’s business partner – had minor roles as villagers.
The couple on their wedding day in 1991
In an emotional tribute he told the BBC: ‘Her passing has left a huge hole in our lives as a family, I miss her hugs’ (pictured at the ITV Palooza! held at The Royal Festival Hall in October 2018)
She also had an uncredited role as a a goblin in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 in 2011, in which Warwick portrayed Filius Flitwick – Hogwarts’ charms professor – for the final time.
In 1989, she had a part in BBC educational series Through the Dragon’s Eye.
Warwick and Mr Burroughs, 77, co-founded Willow Management in 1995 with the aim of changing the way people with dwarfism were represented on screen.
Mr Burroughs is also an actor and has appeared both on stage and in TV and film productions including The Legend of King Arthur, Hamlet, and as an Ewok in 1983 Star Wars film Return of the Jedi.
Harrison also appeared as a goblin in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2. Annabelle portrayed Lacey Lloyd in Hollyoaks until January this year.
Speaking of his first son’s death to People in 2022, Davis said: ‘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.
‘You do learn to live with it, eventually, over time, you’re able to better understand why it happened and can come to terms with it a bit more, but you never get over it.
‘I think the losses shaped our family dynamic, we love Annabelle and Harrison all that more because they’re here with us.’
Lloyd inherited dwarfism from both his parents and died from complications caused by the condition.
The couple lost a second child – who they named George – when Samantha miscarried at 20 weeks in 1993.
Warwick added: ‘We’ll always remember what happened with George and Lloyd. We’ll always be grateful that we had them for the short time that we did.’
