Damian Lewis pens deeply emotional tribute to wife Helen McCrory
Harry Potter and Peaky Blinders actress Helen McCrory has sadly died at the age of 52.
After initially releasing a statement on Twitter, her husband Damian Lewis has paid a moving tribute to wife of 14 years, describing Helen as, 'a meteor in our lives.'
Writing in The Sunday Times, Damian said Helen, 'lived by the principle of kindness and generosity and always took an interest in others and made them feel special.'
The actress was best known for playing strong women, including the Shelby family matriarch Aunt Polly in BBC drama Peaky Blinders, Narcissa Malfoy in the Harry Potter franchise and the home secretary in James Bond film Skyfall.
Damian went on to say: 'Even when dying in her last few days, when talking to our wonderful carers, she repeatedly said, "thank you so much" in her half-delirious state. She always asked people how they were, always took an interest, made each person she met feel special, as though they were the only person in the room.'
Helen and Damian have two children, Manon, 15, and Gulliver, 14. Damian wrote that his wife had been 'utterly heroic' in her illness and repeatedly told her children she had 'lived the life I wanted to.'
He added that Helen’s 'most exquisite act of bravery and generosity' had been to 'normalise' her death, saying, 'She’s shown no fear, no bitterness, no self-pity, only armed us with the courage to go on and insisted that no one be sad, because she is happy. I’m staggered by her. She’s been a meteor in our life.'
In the weeks before her death, Helen had also managed to joke about Damian’s future relationships with women, saying that 'love isn’t possessive.'
Damian wrote, 'She said to us from her bed, "I want Daddy to have girlfriends, lots of them, you must all love again, love isn’t possessive, but you know, Damian, try at least to get though the funeral without snogging someone".'
Fans have been sharing their condolences with the actress's friends and family at this time, taking to social media to pay their respects.
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