WARWICK Davis pays a touching tribute to his late wife in his first TV interview since her sad death – days after his emotional Bafta speech.
Fresh from receiving his BAFTA Fellowship Award, the legendary Harry Potter and Stars Wars actor appears on The Jonathan Ross Show this Saturday.
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Speaking to Jonathan and recounting the moment he found out he had won, Warwick says, “I was on the toilet – I always check my email on the toilet.
“I got very excited when they said they were awarding me the fellowship.
“I screamed with delight from the toilet so my daughter thought ‘oh he’s relieved his constipation’. They ran in before I’d finished the paperwork.”
Warwick adds, “I got a letter from the Prime Minister saying ‘well done’ and inviting me for a cup of tea. Do I call his bluff and turn up?”
“Oh he’s relieved his constipation”
Warwick
Jonathan then asks Warwick about his moving speech at the Baftas where he referenced his wife who passed away last year.
The couple, who had two children together, met as teenagers and had a life full of happiness and dark times.
He replies: “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.”
Warwick adds, “Acting is quite a lonely career, really. You need a solid foundation at home to support that and make it work.”
Jonathan then asks about the identity of ‘Sponge’ who Warwick mentioned had helped him to ‘love again’,
Warwick replies: “I can reveal, sticking with the Harry Potter theme, Sponge is indeed She-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named.”
Referring to Daisy May Cooper’s character Kerry Mucklowe, Warwick adds, “Sponge very much reminds me of Kerry. Some of the things she says and her accent.”
“They want to do selfies on the motorway which is ridiculous”
Warwick
But what do children most recognise Warwick for?
“It’s mainly Harry Potter and Tenable – they come home from school and it’s usually on the telly then. Definitely not Leprechaun.” says the star.
Warwick then reveals the surprising place he is recognised by fans, “People recognise me when I’m driving.
“They want to do selfies on the motorway which is ridiculous.
“They get their camera out and try to take a selfie past themselves while they’re driving, of me. It is dangerous.”
Warwick broke down in tears as he paid tribute to his late wife during his recent BAFTAs acceptance speech.
In April 2024, Warwick announced the sad news that his “favourite human” had passed away at the age of 53.
Accepting the award on stage, he joked: “This is the best thing that’s ever happened to me and I’ve been in Star Wars.”
“Life has been pretty tough”
Warwick
But the Star Wars actor struggled to fight back tears as he admitted that “life has been pretty tough” since Samantha passed away last year.
Warwick told the audience: “I’d like to thank my incredible team, my agent and everyone who has supported me throughout my career.
“This award isn’t just for me, it’s for all of you… hang on a minute, I’ve done all the work, it’s for me.”
He went on to praise his late wife for always supporting him throughout his career.
The star shared: “Above all 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, encouraging me to grab every opportunity with both hands, however, I soon noticed her level of enthusiasm for me taking a particular role was often relative to how much she wanted that new 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.”
“Anyone out there dreaming of telling your story, go for it, the world needs your vision”
Warwick
The room filled with applause for Warwick, who thanked the audience.
The star continued: “A special mention too should go to Sponge, you know who you are, thank you for showing me that life can still have meaning and helping me to laugh and to love again,” Warwick said as he broke down in tears on stage.
He added: “And one final thought, anyone out there dreaming of telling your story, go for it, the world needs your vision.”
Also appearing on The Jonathan Ross Show this Saturday are Top Boy’s Ashley Walters, Dr Who’s Jodie Whittaker and This Country’s Daisy May Cooper.
And the Nova Twins provide the music and perform at the end of the show.
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The Jonathan Ross Show airs Saturday at 9:20pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
