Dame Maggie Smith didn’t let cancer stop her from shooting Harry Potter.
The beloved actress who brought Professor McGonagall to life in the Hogwarts films has sadly died at 89. Her sons Toby Stephens and Chris Larkin announced her death.
They said she passed away “peacefully” in the hospital surrounded by her loved ones. A statement read: “We would like to take this opportunity to thank the wonderful staff at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital for their care and unstinting kindness during her final days.
READ MORE: Harry Potter stars who have died as Dame Maggie Smith passes away aged 89
READ MORE: Click for more brilliant Daily Star showbiz stories
“We thank you for all your kind messages and support and ask that you respect our privacy at this time.” She shot to fame for her performance in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie back in 1969 – which landed her first-ever Oscar.
(Image: Getty Images)
Maggie had been open about her health battles, reports the Mirror, after being diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 74. She admitted she hated chemotherapy, describing it as “hideous” and that it made her ‘feel much worse’ than the disease itself.
She said: “I used to go to treatment on my own, and nearly everybody else was with somebody. I wouldn’t have liked that. Why would you want to make anybody sit in those places?”
(Image: Warner Brothers)
Maggie was diagnosed after discovering a lump on her breast and said treatment happened so quickly that she didn’t have ‘time to think about anything’. But she received the all-clear from the doctors and was able to continue dazzling on the screen.
Bravely, she didn’t let cancer get in the way of her passion as she filmed Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince while going through chemo. She joked getting the wig to fit was easy, saying: “I was like a boiled egg,” she said, according to Tim Teeman.
(Image: Warner Bros. Pictures.)
Maggie was also diagnosed with Graves disease, an autoimmune disorder that can sometimes lead to serious complications including heart failure. She was just 33 when she started to experience unusual symptoms including irritated and bulged-out eyes.
According to the Express, Maggie said the condition left her feeling like she’d been in a ‘fog of despair’. She had radiotherapy and optical surgery for the condition, keeping herself out of the limelight for an entire year to recover.
It seems such tough times led her to embrace her own mortality. She said in 2009: “I was relieved to be the age I was, because by now you feel like it’s all over anyway.
“That’s why I hated seeing young people receiving treatment [at the Royal Marsden Hospital, London]. I couldn’t bear that, it didn’t seem fair. To be honest, you feel so ghastly you wouldn’t mind dying a lot of the time.”
Want all the biggest Showbiz and TV news straight to your inbox? Sign up for our free Daily Star Showbiz newsletter
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
