Inside Maggie Smith’s health battle from cancer which ‘knocked her sideways’ to disease which left ‘fog of despair’

MAGGIE Smith fought a long health battle – from a cancer which ‘knocked her sideways’ to a disease which left a ‘fog of despair’.

Harry Potter and Downton Abbey star Maggie has died aged 89 after an incredible 70-year career on stage and screen.

She previously opened up about her health battles, including treatment for Graves’ disease in 1988.

It comes as…

• Dame Maggie Smith has died aged 89
•  Her last picture showed the actress posing for a fashion campaign
•  Tributes have been paid to the star by fellow celebs
•  Her long health battle with cancer has been revealed
•  Dame Maggie spent the last two decades mourning her late husband
•  Maggie spent her final days surrounded by her beloved sons

In a newspaper interview, she described her experience of Graves disease and thyroid eye disease as a “fog of despair”.

In 2007, it emerged Maggie had been diagnosed with breast cancer but she went on to make a full recovery.

Her sons Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens said she died in hospital early this morning.

In a statement issued via their publicist, they said: “It is with great sadness we have to announce the death of Dame Maggie Smith.

“She passed away peacefully in hospital early this morning, Friday 27th September.

“An intensely private person, she was with friends and family at the end.

“She leaves two sons and five loving grandchildren who are devastated by the loss of their extraordinary mother and grandmother.

“We would like to take this opportunity to thank the wonderful staff at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital for their care and unstinting kindness during her final days.

“We thank you for all your kind messages and support and ask that you respect our privacy at this time.”

She was born Margaret Natalie Smith in December 1934 in Ilford, east London, to a Scottish secretary mum and pathologist dad.

The star moved to Oxford when she was four after her father got a job at the university and later left school to study acting at the Oxford Playhouse.

Aged just 17, Maggie got her first role as Viola in Twelfth Night before appearing in Cinderella, Rookery Nook and The Government Inspector.

In 1957, she landed a role opposite Kenneth Williams in the musical comedy Share My Lettuce.

This led to regular appearances in a string of plays at the Old Vic theatre, including The Rehearsal and Mary, Mary.

While starring in The Double Dealer, Maggie caught the eye of Laurence Olivier who invited her to become part of his National Theatre Company.

Maggie went on to appear opposite the actor in Othello, with the pair famed for their professional rivalry.

In 1958, the actress made her screen debut in Nowhere to Go but it wasn’t until her Oscar-winning performance in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie 11 years later that she gained international fame.

Maggie continued to appear on stage in a number of plays – winning a Tony Award for her role in Broadway comedy Private Lives.

During this time, she won her second Academy Award for best supporting actress in California Suite alongside Michael Caine.

Maggie received further nominations for roles in A Room with a View and Gosford Park.

She appeared in a number of comedies, including Sister Act, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and Quartet.

In 2001, Maggie took the role as Hogwarts deputy headmistress Professor McGonagall in the Harry Potter series of films.

She played the Transfiguration teacher in seven of the eight films until 2011.

Maggie won three Emmys for her portrayal of as Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham, in Downton Abbey.

The actress became a firm fan favourite for her acerbic put-downs during the five-year series and two subsequent films.

Away from the screen, Maggie married actor Robert Stephens in June 1967.

The couple shared two sons, actors Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens, before they divorced eight years later,

Maggie later went on to wed playwright Beverley Cross in 1975 before his death in 1998.