SINCE first meeting as teenagers on the set of Willow, Warwick Davis and his wife Samantha went through dark times, including the tragic deaths of two children.
But the bond between the Tenable star and his wife of 33 years – who has sadly died aged 53 – was unbreakable.
Warwick has confirmed Sam, who he calls his “favourite human”, passed away on March 24.
“Her passing has left a huge hole in our lives as a family. I miss her hugs”, Warwick, 54, said in an emotional statement.
The tragedy comes just two years after Warwick broke down in tears as he imagine life without Sam – who is the mother of their children Annabelle and Harrison, both in their 20s.
Sam had battled back from the brink of death after contracting sepsis in 2018 and it shook the entire family.
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Speaking exclusively to The Sun, Warwick recalled waiting for Sam to return from a life-saving op after she collapsed with blood-poisoning.
“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 said.
“I hoped it would not symbolise a future for us without her.”
The devoted couple had different forms of dwarfism and both faced life-long health issues due to their conditions.
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But the adversity they faced together proved the foundation for their unbreakable bond.
Last October, Warwick shared a photo of himself and Sam grinning together on Instagram.
Ever the romantic, Warwick teased: “A long overdue date night with my beautiful wife. She felt a bit overdressed for. McDonald’s!”
Warwick had already starred as Ewok Wicket in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi when he landed the lead role in Willow, opposite Val Kilmer, at just 17.
Samantha Burroughs, the 16-year-old daughter of co-star Peter Burroughs, had a role as an extra in the film and the pair fell in love, dating for four years before tying the knot in 1991.
Warwick was born with Spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita (SED), an extremely rare genetic form of dwarfism, which has been inherited by both Annabelle and Harrison.
Sam had achondroplasia, the most common form of dwarfism, and Warwick previously spoke movingly about how the combination of both conditions resulted in the deaths of two of their babies.
Teen love to lifelong devotion
The first of Warwick and Sam’s children, Lloyd, was born before Annabelle but died after nine days.
They also lost another son, George, when Samantha was 19 weeks pregnant. She also suffered two miscarriages before welcoming Annabelle and Harrison.
“Prior to Annabelle and Harrison we had a baby boy, Lloyd, who inherited both our conditions… and that is something that proves fatal,” Warwick told Bear Grylls in a 2019 TV special.
“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.”
While other marriages may have been rocked by the tragedy, Warwick insisted it brought him closer to his wife, adding: “That kind of stuff just makes you stronger.”
Life-long health battles
Warwick, co-founder of charity Little People UK, has often spoken out about the health battles related to his condition, as well as the difficulties Sam faced.
“You look at somebody with dwarfism, the first thing that strikes you is probably that they’re short, and that’s it. But that’s the tip of the iceberg,” he told the Guardian in 2015.
“It gets worse. Could be a cleft palate, hearing loss – or you end up in a wheelchair.”
Diagnosed with SED at birth, his parents were told he would never walk and would be dead by his teens, and he endured painful operations on his legs and feet throughout his childhood.
“As you get older, it gets worse,” he said. “My hips are dislocated. Very painful knees.
“There’s a risk of retinal detachment, but I know the signs now. And then, yeah, you wake up, the alarm goes, it takes a good half hour to get moving, we’re both like, ‘Uggggh.’ Imagine the worst flu you’ve had, every day – it’s like that.”
Sam also underwent numerous rounds of surgery throughout her life and it was following a routine back operation in 2018 that she contracted sepsis.
The infection causes the body’s immune system to go into overdrive and attack tissues and organs and, after Sam was rushed to hospital, the family was told she could die and Warwick told the children to say their goodbyes.
What are the symptoms of sepsis?
SEPSIS is a life-threatening reaction to an infection that happens when your immune system overreacts and starts to damage your body’s own tissues and organs.
Symptoms of sepsis in an adult include:
- Acting confused, slurred speech or not making sense
- Blue, grey, pale or blotchy skin, lips or tongue – on brown or black skin, this may be easier to see on the palms of the hands or soles of the feet
- A rash that does not fade when you roll a glass over it, the same as meningitis
- Difficulty breathing, breathlessness or breathing very fast
Symptoms in a child include:
- Blue, grey, pale or blotchy skin, lips or tongue – on brown or black skin, this may be easier to see on the palms of the hands or soles of the feet
- A rash that does not fade when you roll a glass over it, the same as meningitis
- Difficulty breathing (you may notice grunting noises or their stomach sucking under their ribcage), breathlessness or breathing very fast
- A weak, high-pitched cry that’s not like their normal cry
- Not responding like they normally do, or not interested in feeding or normal activities
- Being sleepier than normal or having difficulty waking
They may not have all these symptoms.
If you think you or someone else has symptoms of sepsis, call 999 or go to A&E.
Source: NHS
“I broke down every night thinking that this terrible illness that came out of nowhere might take my soulmate away from me,” Warwick told The Sun.
Meanwhile, Warwick and Sam’s son Harrison has had his own share of surgery.
Sam shared a picture of her son with an anaesthetic mask on in 2019, at Peterborough Hospital, with the words: “We are so proud of Harrison having surgery on his knees and feet, he was super brave, as always.”
Surrounded by love
Both children followed their parents into acting, with Annabelle starring in the Tracy Beaker sequel The Dumping Ground and Harrison landing his first panto role in Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.
The close knit foursome are bound by a strong sense of family, often messaging loving tributes to each other on social media.
When Warwick and Sam celebrated three decades of marriage three years ago, she wrote online: “Happy 30th Anniversary to my best friend, soulmate and rock Warwick. Thank you for all the fun and laughs and being you.
“You are amazing and I love you loads.”
The family’s health issues served to bring them closer together over the years and, after Sam’s brush with death, Warwick vowed to live life to the full.
Two years ago, however, the actor admitted Sam was still struggling following her sepsis battle.
“To this day Sam still feels the effects of sepsis and some PTSD from her experience. If I’m completely honest, I do too,” he said.
“We never take life for granted now, living each day as if it were our last.
“I appreciate and cherish every moment that Sam and I spend together.”
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Through sharing their stories and their charity work, the inspirational couple have helped change the nation’s perception of dwarfism and make a better world for their children.
And their deep love for each other carried them through heartbreak and tragedy, making them stronger than ever until the very end.
