Actor Warwick Davis has candidly opened up about finding love again following the tragic death of his wife.
Samantha died last March aged 53. The couple met when they were teenagers before tying the knot in 1991. They shared two kids together. Now, as the actor prepares to move on, he has opened up about a new special person in his life while chatting with Jonathan Ross.
The presenter quizzed Warwick on his moving BAFTAs speech, in which he mentioned a mystery person who had been helping him grieve. In Warwick’s speech at the annual awards ceremony, the 55-year-old said thanked the mystery person for helping him feel love again in his life.
Warwick Davis paid tribute to his late wife at the BAFTAs earlier this year
When Jonathan asked about his words, Warwick told the chat show host: “When you go through your career as an actor, you sometimes become a bit reluctant to do certain jobs thinking another one will come along and be a bit better. She would always say ‘get out there and do it’.
“She was great at networking as well, always talking to producers and getting me the work in the next job. Very supportive. You need that in this business because it is difficult. You’ve got to have someone who is very supportive of you being away on occasions and working ridiculous hours.”
He added: “Acting is quite a lonely career, really. You need a solid foundation at home to support that and make it work.” Jonathan tried to press Warwick on the identity of his new interest, but he simply replied: “I can reveal, sticking with the Harry Potter theme, Sponge is indeed She-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named.”
Warwick Davis spoke to Jonathan Ross ( Brian J Ritchie/Hotsauce/REX/Shutterstock)
Warwick, who lives with spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita – a rare form of dwarfism – lost his wife Samantha last year. He paid tribute to her in April last year weeks after her death. He wrote: “Her passing has left a huge hole in our lives as a family. I miss her hugs.”
He then went on to describe his late spouse 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
Warwick also paid an emotional tribute to his late wife Samatha as he received this year’s BAFTA Fellowship – the British Academy’s highest honour – earlier this year. During his moving acceptance speech, the Star Wars actor dedicated the award to Samantha.
As part of his speech, Warwick, 55, thanked his beloved wife for her support throughout his career and reflected on life since her passing. “Above all though, I’d like to dedicate and thank my wonderful wife Sammy, who died almost a year ago. She was always so supportive of my career – encouraged me to grab every opportunity with both hands.
“However, I soon noticed that her level of enthusiasm for me taking a particular role was often relative to how much she wanted that designer handbag. Since then, life has been pretty tough for me. But thanks to the support of our wonderful children, Annabelle and Harrison, I’ve been able to continue working and engaging in life.”
