Since the moment they first connected as teenagers on the set of Willow, Warwick Davis and his wife Samantha have faced challenges, including the tragic deaths of two daughters and a sepsis scare that may have been life-threatening.
Although there has never been a closer bond between the Tenable actor and his wife of 31 years—whom he calls his “soulmate”—than now.
Warwick and Sam Davis have never been more in love.
He revealed this past weekend how, as Sam, 51, struggled to recover from sepsis in 2018, with whom he shares children Annabelle, 25, and Harrison, 19, he had torn up as he imagined life without her.
In an exclusive interview with The Sun, the 52-year-old recalled waiting for Sam to return from life-saving surgery after Sam had fallen due to the potentially fatal blood poisoning.
The space Sam’s hospital bed had left open, he sat with our children on the ward and remarked, “The next few hours were the longest of my life. ”.
I hoped that it didn’t mean that we would be without her in the future. ”.
The affectionate couple both suffer from different types of dwarfism, which has left them with ongoing health issues.
The challenges they have faced together, though, have turned out to be the foundation of their unbreakable friendship.
In a sentimental birthday card sent to her husband in February, Sam highlighted their special bond by calling him “beautiful inside and out.”.
He wrote, “You are the bravest, kindest, and most sensitive person I know.
“Your courage and tenacity continue to amaze us all every day. I cherish you to the moon and back. I will always be yours. ”.
For his “beautiful wife’s” 51st birthday in January, Warwick tweeted a tribute to her.
I so admire how she meets the challenges of life with dignity, vigor, and courage; she is an inspiration, he continued. ”.
Warwick had already made an appearance as Ewok Wicket in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi when he was just 17 years old and offered the lead role in Willow opposite Val Kilmer.
The two fell in love while working together as extras in the film as Samantha Burroughs, 16, co-star Peter Burroughs’ daughter. Before getting hitched in 1991, they dated for four years.
Spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita (SED), a genetic form of dwarfism shared by Annabelle, Harrison, and Warwick, is a birth defect.
Warwick has described in a moving way how the fatalities of two of their infants were caused by the coexistence of Sam’s achondroplasia and the most common type of dwarfism.
A baby named Lloyd was born before Annabelle, but he passed away nine days later. They lost George when Samantha was 19 weeks along with two more pregnancies before welcoming Annabelle and Harrison.
In a 2019 TV special, he stated, “We had a baby boy, Lloyd, before Annabelle and Harrison, who inherited both our conditions… and that proves fatal. ”.
A baby won’t be strong enough to handle it. But Lloyd, who was absolutely gorgeous, lived for nine days.
It was a challenging time. Yes, we also experienced a stillbirth. ”.
While the tragedy may have ended some marriages, Warwick maintained that it actually made him and his wife closer. That kind of stuff just makes you stronger, he continued. ”.
Warwick, who founded Little People UK with Sam, frequently speaks in public about their health struggles.
“When you first see someone who has dwarfism, all you typically notice is that they are short. But that’s just the start,” he said in 2015, according to the Guardian.
“Things get worse. A cleft palate, hearing loss, or the need for a wheelchair could be the outcomes. ”.
His parents were told he had SED from birth, wouldn’t be able to walk, and would die in his teens. Throughout his youth, he underwent numerous excruciating foot and leg operations.
He said that as you get older, it gets worse. “My hips have dislocated. That caused a great deal of pain. ”.
Although I can now identify the symptoms, retinal separation is still a possibility. Once the alarm goes off and we have had a chance to get going for thirty minutes, you awaken. It’s like having the worst illness you’ve ever had every day. ”.
Sam has had numerous surgeries throughout her life, and in 2018, after a routine back operation, she died from sepsis.
When the family learned she might not recover from the virus after being taken to the hospital, Warwick urged the kids to say their final goodbyes. The infection triggers the body’s immune system to go into overdrive and attack tissues and organs.
He claimed in an interview with The Sun that “I broke down every night thinking that this terrible illness that came out of nowhere might take my soulmate away from me.”.
Son Harrison has had surgery several times, most recently in 2019.
We are so proud of Harrison having surgery on his knees and feet; he was brave as usual, Sam wrote. ” is written next to a picture of her son receiving treatment at Peterborough Hospital while donning an anesthetic mask.
Harrison received his first panto role in Snow White and the Seven Dwarves in January, and Annabelle appeared in the Tracy Beaker sequel The Dumping Ground. Both children carried on their parents’ acting careers.
Through their stories and charitable endeavors, the inspirational couple has helped alter the public’s perception of dwarfism and improved the world for their children.
In addition, their unwavering love has seen them through sadness and heartache, making them stronger than before.
