Harry Potter and Star Wars star Warwick Davis pens tribute for actress wife Samantha who has died aged 53

British actress Samantha Davis has died aged 53, her husband Warwick Davis confirmed in a statement.

Warwick, who is best known for his roles in Harry Potter and Star Wars, said his wife’s death on March 24 has “left a huge hole in our lives as a family”.

Samantha was born with a form of dwarfism called achondroplasia, a genetic condition which affects a protein in the body called the fibroblast growth factor receptor.

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Samantha underwent numerous surgeries throughout her life and it’s believed she contracted sepsis after decompression surgery on her spine.

“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,” Warwick told the BBC.

He called his wife 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.”

“With her by my side, I was sure I could achieve anything, it was like having a superpower.”

The couple’s two children Harrison and Annabelle added that Samantha’s “love and happiness carried us through our whole lives”.

“Mum is our best friend and we’re honoured to have received a love like hers,” they added.

Samantha met her husband on the set of the 1988 film Willow, before they wed in 1991.

She and Warwick founded the charity Little People UK which assists individuals with dwarfism and their families.

The organisation also provides invaluable resources to the dwarfism community, and educates the public on dwarfism and fundraising.

Warwick was born with spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita (SED), a rare genetic disorder that results in short skeletal anomalies.

He is best known for his Harry Potter roles of Griphook, Professor Flitwick and the Goblin Bank Teller along with various Star Wars roles including Ewok Wicket W.

Samantha and their children acted alongside Warwick during the final Harry Potter film, Deathly Hallows Part II in 2011 as goblins.

The couple have been candid about the loss of their first two children, Lloyd and George.

Lloyd inherited dwarfism from both his parents and died from complications.

Samantha miscarried their second child, whom they named George, at 20 weeks.

“I think it brings you closer together, or something like that, but it’s an experience I wouldn’t wish on anyone, it’s devastating,” Warwick previously told People.

“You do learn to live with it, eventually, over time, you’re able to better understand why it happened and can come to terms with it a bit more, but you never get over it.

“I think the losses shaped our family dynamic, we love Annabelle and Harrison all that more because they’re here with us.”

“We’ll always remember what happened with George and Lloyd. We’ll always be grateful that we had them for the short time that we did.”

Warwick previously opened up about his wife’s health after her health dramatically declined when she had sepsis in 2019.

“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,” he told The Sun.

“I hoped it would not symbolise a future for us without her.”