Last year, Tenable favourite Warwick Davis shared his heartbreak following the death of his wife Sammy.
The couple, who shared two grown-up children, were married for 32 years. And, over the course of their marriage, suffered immeasurable grief as they endured the loss of their two other beloved children.
However, their dwarfism appears to have only made the couple stronger. Here, we look back on their heartwarming bond and their heartbreaking losses…
Warwick Davis and wife Sammy
TV favourite Warwick wed the lovely Samantha, who he affectionately called Sammy, in 1991. The couple met on the set of the 1988 film Willow. Warwick was playing the title role, while Sammy and her dad were employed as extras.
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Sammy was the daughter of Warwick’s business partner Peter Burroughs and they had minor roles as Nelwyn villagers in the film.
Love blossomed for the pair and they tied the knot three years later.
The couple’s two children and two heartbreaking losses
Warwick and Sammy shared two children – daughter Annabelle – an actress – and son Harrison.
Warwick and the kids all have a form of dwarfism caused by an extremely rare genetic condition called spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita (SED). Sammy, meanwhile, had a condition called achondroplasia.
Sadly the couple have suffered heartbreaking loss when it comes to their family.
Tragically, the couple’s first two children, sons Lloyd and George, died shortly after birth, having had a fatal combination of their parents’ conditions. Speaking on TV show Bear’s Mission with Bear Grylls, Warwick opened up about the loss.
He said: “Prior to Annabelle and Harrison we had a baby boy, Lloyd, who inherited both our conditions… and that is something that proves fatal. It’s something that a baby won’t survive. But Lloyd he lived for survived for nine days. He was beautiful… but it was a tough time. And we had a stillborn too.”
‘We are better people for it’
In 2014, Sammy opened up to the Daily Mail about the loss of Lloyd, revealing it hit the couple “like a train”.
She said: “When they wanted to turn the machine off I said: ‘No, no, no,’ but they said: ‘Look, we’ll just give him to you and he will just go to sleep in your arms.’ And he did. I’m so glad he didn’t die on the machine now. We gave him everything we could.
“At Lloyd’s funeral I was proud. I was his mum and how lucky was I? I had the best nine days ever. You have to turn it round like that. It may sound like an odd thing to say, we are better people for it.
“It could easily have broken us, but it didn’t. If anything we became stronger as a couple.”
The couple tried for another child years later and baby George was stillborn at 19 weeks.
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Warwick Davis announces wife Sammy’s death
Warwick announced his wife’s death in a statement to the BBC on April 17 2024.
He said that she died on March 24. In a statement, Warwick said: “Her passing has left a huge hole in our lives as a family. I miss her hugs. 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.”
Sammy’s cause of death hasn’t been revealed.
Back in October 2023, Warwick had shared the couple’s last picture together as they enjoyed a date night. It showed Warwick and Samantha smiling as they took a selfie.
New love
Earlier this week, Warwick was honoured with the Fellowship Award at the BAFTAs. The award recognises individuals who have made an “outstanding and exceptional” contribution to the silver screen.
Following a montage of Warwick’s projects over the years, as well as clips from his colleagues and family, the actor collected his award. As the audience cheered, Warwick took to the stage and began his speech.
“This is probably the best thing that has ever happened to me… and I’ve been in Star Wars! I’m going to keep this short, it’s been a long night… short, yes you can laugh,” he said. He continued: “I’m going to say thank you to my mum, my first agent, she’s the reason I am here tonight.”
After thanking his team, an emotional Warwick dedicated the award to his late wife Samantha. “Above all I would like to dedicate and thank my wonderful wife Sammy who died almost a year ago. She was always so supportive of my career and encouraged me to grab every opportunity with both hands,” he said.
He shared: “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.”
Finishing off the emotional speech, Warwick gave a shout-out to a mystery person he referred to as “Sponge”. According to Warwick, they have helped him to “love again”.
Fighting back the tears, he said: “Special mention should go to Sponge, you know who you are. Thank you for showing me that life can still have meaning and for helping me to laugh and to love again.”
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