Warwick Davis's heartbreaking final photo with 'beautiful' wife before tragic death at 53

Warwick Davis shared a heartbreaking final photo with his wife Samantha before her tragic death at 53. The Harry Potter actor released an emotional statement following her death, saying: "Her passing has left a huge hole in our lives as a family. I miss her hugs."

In his touching tribute on Wednesday night, Warwick, 54, described his late wife 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 continued. Their children, Harrison and Annabelle, also honoured their late mother, stating that her "love and happiness carried us through our whole lives".

They said: "Mum is our best friend and we're honoured to have received a love like hers."

Before her death, Warwick and Samantha enjoyed a night out together and posed for a photograph. In October, the actor posted the picture on his Instagram account with the caption: "A long overdue date night with my beautiful wife. She felt a bit overdressed for McDonald's!"

Fans had rallied around the couple with heartfelt messages, as one fan expressed: "You two are just amazing. Hope you had a great time."

Another chimed in with warmth: "Awwww. No better to have a date night than McDonald's." A third admirer shared: "An awesome couple."

In his poignant homage following her death, Warwick professed: "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. She was passionate about helping people, without judgment. She had time for everyone and a genuine listening ear."

Samantha was afflicted with achondroplasia, which is a condition affecting bone growth and results in disproportionate dwarfism.

In 2019, Samantha suffered a near-fatal battle with sepsis in 2019 following decompression surgery on her spine. Recalling the hellish incident, Samantha explained she "couldn't feel [her] legs" and felt as though she had been "hit by a truck".

She said: "We went home [from hospital] 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...As the day progressed, I couldn't concentrate, I lay on the sofa and when I tried to get up, I collapsed on the floor."

Warwick was left heartbroken at the thought of losing his "soulmate". He told The Sun: “I broke down every night thinking that this terrible illness that came out of nowhere might take my soulmate away from me."