Final picture of Warwick Davis' wife Samantha as smiling pair enjoyed a date night before her death aged 53 - as the Harry Potter actor pays tribute to her 'unique character' and wicked sense of humour'

This is the final picture of Warwick Davis and his wife Samantha as the smiling pair enjoyed a date night just five months before her death.

The Star Wars and Harry Potter actor, 54, heartbreakingly revealed yesterday that his life partner, who he first met on the set of his 1988 film Willow, had died on March 24, aged 53.

In an emotional tribute put out on Wednesday, Davis said the death of his wife, who was also an actor, had left 'a huge hole in our lives' and said she made him fell like he had a 'superpower'.

The loving couple were most recently seen together in a selfie posted his Instagram page on October 5 last year, in which they were seen smiling at the camera during a 'date night'. 

It was accompanied by the light-hearted and tender caption: 'A long overdue date night with my beautiful wife. She felt a bit overdressed for McDonald's!'

The picture delighted fans of the pair, with one remarking 'you two are just amazing' and another calling them a 'gorgeous couple'.

The photo resurfaced after Davis tragically revealed his wife of 33 years had passed away last month. 

In an emotional tribute to his 'favourite human', Davis said: 'Her passing has left a huge hole in our lives as a family. I miss her hugs.'

He described Sammy, as he called her, as his 'most trusted confidant and an ardent supporter of everything I did in my career'. He said he felt like he could achieve anything with his wife by his side and that it felt like he had a 'superpower'.

'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,' Davis said in a statement given to the BBC.

The couple met on the set of George Lucas's film Willow and married three years later in 1991. During their 33-year marriage, they had three children - one of whom tragically died shortly after he was born.

Their two other children, Annabelle and Harrison, also paid tribute to their mother, saying: 'Her 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.'

Davis said his wife's mobility had become impaired in recent years but shared how she was determined not to let it bring her down.

She had a brush with death in 2019 when she fell ill with sepsis ahead of a family holiday. 

Davis previously told how he and the couple's children 'sort of said goodbye' by her bedside before she pulled through.

The actor and his wife lost baby son Lloyd just nine days after he was born in 1991 - the year they got married.

Davis said in 2022 that he would not wish the 'devastating' experience on anyone and added: 'You never get over it.'

He and Samantha - who co-founded the charity Little People UK - met when Davis starred as sorcerer Willow Ufgood in the 1988 film named after the character. 

Samantha and her father Peter - who is Davis's business partner - had minor roles as villagers. 

She also had an uncredited role as a a goblin in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 in 2011, in which Davis portrayed Filius Flitwick - Hogwarts' charms professor - for the final time.

In 1989, she had a part in BBC educational series Through the Dragon's Eye.

Davis and Mr Burroughs, 77, co-founded Willow Management in 1995 with the aim of changing the way people with dwarfism were represented on screen.

Mr Burroughs is also an actor and has appeared both on stage and in TV and film productions including The Legend of King Arthur, Hamlet, and as an Ewok in 1983 Star Wars film Return of the Jedi. 

Davis and his wife have actress daughter Annabelle, 27, and son Harrison, 21, together. 

Harrison also appeared as a goblin in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2. Annabelle portrayed Lacey Lloyd in Hollyoaks until January this year.

Speaking of his first son's death to People in 2022, Davis said: '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.

'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.'

Lloyd inherited dwarfism from both his parents and died from complications caused by the condition.  

The couple lost a second child - who they named George - when Samantha miscarried at 20 weeks in 1993. 

Davis added: '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.' 

The star previously said the tragedies made him and Samantha stronger as a couple.

Speaking on Bear Grylls' television show Bear's Mission in 2018, he said: 'Prior to Annabelle and Harrison we had a baby boy, Lloyd, who inherited both our conditions… and that is something that proves fatal.

'It's something that a baby won't survive. But Lloyd he lived for survived for nine days, but yeah he was beautiful… but it was a tough time. And yeah, we had a stillborn too.'

The star said he and his wife had made it through the painful time together, saying: 'That kind of stuff it just makes you stronger [as a couple].'

Davis was born with an extremely rare condition called spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita (SED), where the bone endings fail to form. It meant he never grew taller than 3ft 6in.

His wife had a different form of dwarfism called achondroplasia.

Samantha fell ill with sepsis ahead of a family caravan holiday in 2019.

She initially thought that her symptoms were caused by stress from preparing for the trip. 

When her exhaustion led to her not being able to stand without support, her husband called an out-of-hours doctor and she was rushed to hospital. 

Davis said in 2022: '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. I hoped it would not symbolise a future for us without her.' 

He continued: Our family gathered by her bedside; although optimistic, we were sort of saying goodbye in case Sam didn't survive.'

'It's so hard to see someone you love more than anything in the world fighting to stay alive without the strength to even roll over in bed.'

Doctors became concerned about a scar on Samantha's back from a recent spinal surgery she had undergone. Davis said it was 'inflamed with fluid, red, and hot to touch.'

Tests came back showing Sam had a deadly Streptococcus bacteria and meningitis infection, meaning she needed emergency surgery.

However, she pulled through and was nursed back to help by Davis over the course of three months. 

Davis reprised his role as Ufgood in TV series Willow, which aired in 2022 but was then cancelled after just one season.