The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Lewis describes his wife as ‘a meteor in our lives’ in emotional tribute
Actor Damian Lewis has paid tribute to his wife Helen Mccrory, describing her as “a meteor in our life”, following her death from cancer at the age of 52.
The actress was best known for playing powerful women such as Shelby family matriarch Aunt Polly in the BBC gang drama Peaky Blinders, Narcissa Malfoy in the Harry Potter films and the home secretary in James Bond film Skyfall.
Writing in the Sunday Times, he said: “I’ve never known anyone so consciously spread happiness. Even when dying in her last few days, when talking to our wonderful carers, she repeatedly said, ‘thank you so much’ in her halfdelirious state.”
He said that Mccrory was “not interested in navel-gazing (or) selfreflection”, and passed her positivity on to others.
“Helen believed you choose happiness,” he said.
Mccrory and Lewis married in 2007 and share a daughter Manon, born in 2006, and son Gulliver, born in 2007.
Lewis said his wife had been “utterly heroic” in her illness and told her children repeatedly she had “lived the life I wanted to”.
He added that Mccrory’s “most exquisite act of bravery and generosity” had been to “normalise” her death.
“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,” he said.
“I’m staggered by her. She’s been a meteor in our life.”