Actor and campaigner Samantha Davis, wife of Harry Potter star Warwick Davis, passed away after suffering cardiac arrest before the hospital planned to leave her, questioning found.
Davis, who co-founded Little People UK, is a dwarf charity known as “an essential resource for Little People and their families,” passed away on March 24th last year at University College Hospital in London at the age of 53.
Professor Fiona Wilcox of the Inner West London Coroner Court, Inner West London, concluded in Davis’ investigation Monday that he died of arrhythmic cardiac arrest after essential surgical treatment complications.
After Davis was admitted to the hospital on February 7th last year, he suddenly lost mobility in his lower limbs after prolapsing his disc. On February 20th and again on March 14th, she underwent open-heart surgery, a surgical procedure that opens the chest wall.
Her second surgery improved her condition and University College Hospital on Westmoreland Street had planned to discharge her, the investigation heard. However, Davis suffered a cardiac arrest at 11:25pm on March 23, and was declared dead early in the morning of March 24 after a failed attempt to resuscate.
Wilcox said:
“In my view, all the stresses come together led to this arrhythmic cardiac arrest in women who are not known to have previous arrhythmic issues.”
According to Wilcox, Davis is a bone growth disorder that causes chondrosis, which caused dwarfism and was “complexed by very serious spinal problems” that required multiple surgeries since 2016.
The coroner said: “In my view, if this compression had not occurred, Ms. Davis would not have felt that bad.
She praised the “good care” offered by the hospital, noting that the surgery itself was “candidly heartbreaking” that it was successful solely to cause her death.
After her death last year, Samantha Davis was described by her husband as “the greatest love of his life.” He spoke of his wife, “She was a unique character and always saw the side of her sunny life. She had an evil sense of humor and always laughed at my bad jokes.
“Without Sammy, there would have been no Tenable Quiz Show or Willow Series.
Warwick Davis said Samantha was his “most trusted best friend and an avid supporter of all the things I’ve done in my career” and having her by his side made her feel “like having a superpower.”
He dedicated the BAFTA Film Fellowship Award to his wife in an emotional homage at the February ceremony.
Additional Report: PA Media
