ACTOR Warwick Davis broke down in tears as he paid tribute to his late wife during his BAFTAs acceptance speech.

The Harry Potter star, 55, was left overwhelmed as he took to the stage to thank a number of people – most importantly his late wife Samantha, who had been his number one supporter since they met in 1988.

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Warwick Davis broke down in tears as he paid an emotional tribute to his late wife[/caption]

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The actor was awarded the BAFTAs Fellowship[/caption]

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Warwick announced he had lost his “favourite human” last April[/caption]

In April 2024, Warwick announced the sad news that his “favourite human” had passed away at the age of 53.

During tonight’s star-studded ceremony, Warwick was awarded the BAFTAs Fellowship prize, known as Bafta’s highest honour.

Accepting the award on stage, he joked: “This is the best thing that’s ever happened to me and I’ve been in Star Wars.”

But the Star Wars actor struggled to fight back tears as he admitted that “life has been pretty tough” since Samantha passed away last year.

Warwick told the audience: “I’d like to thank my incredible team, my agent and everyone who has supported me throughout my career.

“This award isn’t just for me, it’s for all of you… hang on a minute, I’ve done all the work, it’s for me.”

He went on to praise his late wife for always supporting him throughout his career.

The star shared: “Above all I’d like to dedicate and thank my wonderful wife Sammy, who died almost a year ago.

“She was always so supportive of my career, encouraging me to grab every opportunity with both hands, however, I soon noticed her level of enthusiasm for me taking a particular role was often relative to how much she wanted that new designer handbag.

“Since then life has been pretty tough for me, but thanks to the support of our wonderful children Annabelle and Harrison, I’ve been able to continue working and engaging in life.”

The room filled with applauds for Warwick, who thanked the audience.

The star continued: “A special mention too should go to Sponge, you know who you are, thank you for showing me that life can still have meaning and helping me to laugh and to love again,” Warwick said as he broke down in tears on stage.

He added: “And one final thought, anyone out there dreaming of telling your story, go for it, the world needs your vision.”

Last April, Warwick shared an emotional statement, as the Harry Potter star star said his “favourite human” passed away on March 24.

The couple met on the set of movie Willow in 1988 and married three years later.

Devastated Warwick, 54, said: “Her passing has left a huge hole in our lives as a family. I miss her hugs.”

He told the BBC: “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.

“Without Sammy, there would have been no Tenable quiz show, no Willow series. No Idiot Abroad Series 3.”

Warwick said Samantha was his “most trusted confidant and an ardent supporter of everything I did in my career”.

The couple’s children, Harrison and Annabelle, added: “Mum is our best friend and we’re honoured to have received a love like hers.

“Her love and happiness carried us through our whole lives.”

Samantha was best known for her roles in Through the Dragon’s Eye, ShortFellas and Honky Sausages.

Her dad Peter, an extra in Willow, later became Warwick’s business partner.

Samantha had achondroplasia, a bone growth disorder that causes disproportionate dwarfism.

Warwick previously opened up about his wife’s health after she was rushed to hospital with sepsis in 2018.

The actor told The Sun that her health dramatically declined ahead of a family caravan holiday.

Speaking of the horror a few years later, he said: “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.”

Sam had numerous operations due to her condition.

It is thought she contracted sepsis after decompression surgery on her spine.

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actor struggled to fight back tears as he admitted that ‘life has been pretty tough’[/caption]

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The couple met on the set of movie Willow in 1988 and married three years later[/caption]

Muhsin Hendricks – considered to be the world’s first openly gay imam – has been shot dead during an ambush on his car in South Africa.

The Islamic scholar and LGBTQ+ activist who ran a mosque in Cape Town intended as a safe haven for gay and other marginalised Muslims.

The 57-year-old was killed on Saturday morning after the car in which he was travelling in was attacked near the southern city of Gqeberha.

‘Two unknown suspects with covered faces got out of the car and started firing multiple shots at the vehicle,’ the Eastern Cape force said.

‘Thereafter they fled the scene, and the driver noticed that Hendricks, who was seated at the back of the vehicle was shot and killed.’

Footage circulating on social media shows the assassination of the imam in broad daylight.

An assailant is seen jumping out of a car, running to the ambushed vehicle and shooting several time through the back passenger window.

‘The motive for the murder is unknown,’ police said, urging anybody with information to come forward.

The imam was shot after he had reportedly officiated at a lesbian wedding, though this has not been officially confirmed.

Hendricks’ death has sent shockwaves through the LGBTQ+ community in South Africa and beyond.

Tributes from across the globe have been paid to the pioneering figure as the community in Cape Town is reeling from his killling.

The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association denounced the attack.

‘The ILGA World family is in deep shock at the news of the murder of Muhsin Hendricks, and calls on authorities to thoroughly investigate what we fear may be a hate crime,’ executive director Julia Ehrt said in a statement.

Openly queer pastor Revd Jide Macaulay described Hendricks’ death as a ‘profound loss, one that leaves a void in our hearts and in the movement for liberation and inclusion’.

He wrote about their first meeting in 2009 when the imam led a retreat and study days in Cape Town: ‘From that moment we forged a deep connection – one built on shared purpose, mutual inspiration, and an unshakable commitment to justice.

‘As an openly queer Pastor and you as a queer imam, we found joy and strength in our work, challenging the rigid boundaries of faith and sexuality.

‘Together, we contributed to a growing theological discourse that gave voice to LGBTQ+ people of faith.

‘You played an instrumental role in many of the events we envisioned, created, and hosted – both across Africa and around the world.

‘Your leadership, courage, and unwavering dedication to inclusive faith communities have left an indelible mark.’

Hendricks, involved in various LGBTQ+ advocacy groups, came out as gay in 1996.

He ran the Al-Ghurbaah mosque at Wynberg near his birthplace Cape Town.

According to its website, the mosque provides ‘a safe space in which queer Muslims and marginalised women can practise Islam.’.

Hendricks, the subject of a 2022 documentary called ‘The Radical’, had previously alluded to threats against him.

But he insisted that ‘the need to be authentic’ was ‘greater than the fear to die’.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].

For more stories like this, check our news page.

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A MAJOR car firm boss has revealed plans to revive a beloved discontinued model as a “hot” EV.

Peugeot is reportedly making plans to bring back a new, electrified avatar of its much-loved hatchback 208GTi.

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The new model would likely be based on a Peugeot e-208[/caption]

Top boss Alain Favey said he has been thinking about reviving the hot hatch.

He said bringing back the GTi version was “a question I’ve been asking myself very much”, Autocar reports.

When asked if there would ever be an electrified version of 208GTi, Favey said: “I am very eager to connect the Peugeot brand with what it stands for to its past, to its heritage in every sense.

“So we will look back at what the heritage of the brand is and we will see to what extent this can be adapted to the modern world – and there is nothing excluded in our review of this and certainly not the GTi badge, for sure.”

The last time a 208 came out of the factory with the GTi moniker was in 2019.

Favey says the new 208GTi EV would likely be a performance variant of the e-208.

The news of the revival comes just two months after the sister model 508 was axed from production in the UK.

The manufacturer said the discontinuation of the estate was due to the UK government’s introduction of the net zero emission rules.

Meanwhile, a British car brand announced it will revive an iconic model eight years after it was discontinued – but it won’t be made here.

The new project will be a joint enterprise with one of the world’s largest manufacturers.

The Freelander name was initially slapped on a range of Land Rover 4x4s that ran from 1997 to 2015.

An instant hit with drivers, the Mk1 Freelander would sell 540,000 units, making it the best-selling four-wheel drive model in Europe at the time.

However, sales declined to around a tenth of that by 2014 and the model was axed a year later.

The Freelander was largely absorbed by the still-popular Range Rover Evoque, which was introduced in 2011.

Now, though, parent company Jaguar Land Rover has confirmed that the model will return as an all new, electric SUV.

It will be built by Chery, a Chinese manufacturer owned by the provincial government of its base in Wuhu City.

The two brands have been partnered up for 12 years, with Chery already making the Land Rover Discovery, the Evoque and Jaguar’s E-Pace, XF and XE models.

Production of the Freelander will be based at Chery’s factory in eastern China and will only be available in Asia at first.

OLIVIA Hawkins called Grace Jackson out tonight for having a “game plan” in All Stars’ most explosive episode yet.

A shocking twist saw the former Islanders return to cast their votes as three couples faced the chop.

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Olivia Hawkins shocked the Islanders as she revealed Grace’s ‘game plan’[/caption]

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Grace was gobsmacked by Olivia’s comments[/caption]

But Olivia was ready to drop a few bombshells leaving the Islanders gobsmacked.

Olivia stood up to cast her vote and said: “So this was a hard decision for me because I don’t believe all three couples deserve to be in these positions.

“I feel like there’s one particular couple that I probably would have swapped from things I’ve seen from the outside.”

Luca Bish asked: “What couple did you want to switch out?”

Not holding back, Olivia said: “Erm, so I’ve seen text messages of Grace just saying to someone that she would do whatever it takes to win the show this time.”

Grace, who is currently coupled up with Luca, looked horrified at Olivia’s comment, before she yelled: “Wait, what? From who?”

Olivia continued: “So I was just a bit confused,” as Grace screamed: “From who?”

The rest of the Islanders were left stunned by Olivia’s information, as Grace’s best friend Harriett exclaimed: “What?!”

Ex-Islanders Montel McKenzie and Kaz Crossley also looked equally as shocked, while Danielle Sellers awkwardly chimed in and said: “I actually can’t, that was the first one,” as she covered her face.

It wasn’t the only explosive moment Olivia delivered tonight.

She also took aim at Ronnie and Harriett and said their relationship wasn’t likely to work on the outside after getting back together.

Olivia revealed: “I feel like there’s one particular couple I probably would have swapped from things I’ve seen on the outside…”

Olivia then casted a vote for Harriett and Ronnie and explained: “I do think that if things don’t work out first time, going back to it is always a risk.”

Harriett fired back: “The girl literally photoshopped her head onto mine and sent it to Ronnie and he still didn’t want you on the outside or in the Villa…”

Olivia responded: “I didn’t want to go on a date with Ronnie.”

Liv claimed earlier this series that Ronnie messaged her while he was seeing Harriett, 24, last year.

Harriett was in a relationship with Ronnie Vint last series and left the show with him, but the pair split just three months later.

Ronnie insisted he wasn’t in an exclusive relationship with Harriett, who he left the show with last summer.

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Olivia claimed she had seen texts between Grace and a friend[/caption]

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