How Warwick Davis’ wife nearly died from sepsis battle leaving Harry Potter star suffering ‘longest hours of his life’
WARWICK Davis once heartbreakingly opened up about when his wife almost died of sepsis – calling it the “longest hours of his life”.
The Harry Potter star, 54, tragically revealed last night that his “favourite human” Samantha had died aged 53.
Warwick said his wife of 33 years passed away on March 24, and that her death had “left a huge hole” in their family.
The couple, who had two children together, met as teenagers and had a life full of happiness and dark times.
Warwick once told The Sun about one of the hardest days he’d ever had – when he thought he was going to lose Samantha.
He was talking about a time in 2018, when she was rushed to hospital with sepsis.
The actor told The Sun that her health dramatically declined ahead of a family caravan holiday.
Speaking of the horror a few years later, he 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.”
Samantha also opened up about her near-death experience.
She recalled at the time: “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.”
The couple met on the set of movie Willow in 1988 and married three years later.
Devastated Warwick, 54, said last night: “Her passing has left a huge hole in our lives as a family. I miss her hugs.”
He told the BBC: “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.
Couple's tragic last picture on date night
By DAN CAIN
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.
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”.
“Without Sammy, there would have been no Tenable quiz show, no Willow series. No Idiot Abroad Series 3.”
Warwick said Samantha 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.”
Samantha was best known for her roles in Through the Dragon’s Eye, ShortFellas and Honky Sausages.
Her dad Peter, an extra in Willow, later became Warwick’s business partner.
Samantha had achondroplasia, a bone growth disorder that causes disproportionate dwarfism.
She had numerous operations due to her condition.
It is thought she contracted sepsis after decompression surgery on her spine.
Warwick, who is the co-founder of charity Little People UK, often spoke about the health battles related to his own condition – as well his wife’s.
He was born with Spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita (SED), an extremely rare genetic form of dwarfism, which has been inherited by both their children.
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.
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 decompression surgery on her spine.
- Samantha 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.
“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.”
He added: “As you get older, it gets worse.
“My hips are dislocated. Very painful knees.”
Samantha once highlighted their unique romance with a tribute to her “beautiful inside and out” husband in a heartwarming birthday message.
She wrote: “You are the bravest, most caring and sensitive person I know.
“You amaze us all every day 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 and courage – she’s an inspiration.”
Warwick has also spoken movingly about how the combination of both his and Samantha’s conditions 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.
He said: “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.”
What is sepsis?
Typically, when a person suffers a minor cut, the area surrounding the wound will become red, swollen and warm to touch.
This is evidence the body’s immune system has kicked into action, releasing white blood cells to the site of the injury to kill off the bacteria causing the infection.
The white blood cells and platelets form blood clots in the tissues around the cut.
Blood vessels swell to allow more blood to flow, and they become leaky, allowing infection-fighting cells to get out of the blood and into the tissues where they are needed.
This causes inflammation, which appears to us as the red, warm swelling.
When sepsis happens, this system goes into overdrive.
The inflammation that is typically seen just around the minor cut, spreads through the body, affecting healthy tissue and organs.
The immune system – the body’s defence mechanism – overreacts and the result is it attacks the body.
It can lead to organ failure and septic shock, which can prove fatal.
Bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites can all trigger sepsis – though the most dangerous culprit is bacteria.
In developing nations, the condition remains a leading cause of death.
Known by its colloquial name “blood poisoning”, sepsis is also often referred to as a “flesh-eating disease”.