Damian Lewis paid tribute to his beloved late wife Helen McCrory.
The British actress, who starred in the TV show “Peaky Blinders” and the “Harry Potter” movies, passed away in April 2021 at age 52. At the time, the actor confirmed that she died “peacefully at home” after a “heroic battle with cancer.”
On Tuesday night, the “Billions” star attended the National Theatre’s “A Poet for Every Day of the Year” event held at London’s Lyttelton Theatre where he read a poem on stage after mentioning McCrory’s “thunder.”
“This evening is dedicated to her, and it’s perfect because Helen loved the National Theatre,” he told the 900-person audience, as quoted by the U.K. Times. “One person whose thunder would absolutely not be stolen. You could try, but it wouldn’t work.”
HELEN MCCRORY, ENGLISH ACTRESS WHO STARRED IN ‘HARRY POTTER’ AND ‘PEAKY BLINDERS,’ DEAD AT 52
The event, dedicated to Helen McCrory, will be available to stream on National Theatre’s YouTube page March 3 for World Book Day. (Photo by Mike Marsland/WireImage)
The event, which was dedicated to McCrory, will be available to stream on National Theatre’s YouTube page on March 3 for World Book Day.
McCrory and Lewis met on the production of “Five Gold Rings” at London’s Almeida Theatre in 2003. They married in 2007. The couple share daughter Manon, 15, and son Gulliver, 14.
At the time of McCrory’s passing, Lewis honored the star in an emotional piece for the U.K. Times.
“Many people have spoken about her career and many more will, so that’s where I’ll leave it because it strikes me that two things are happening this weekend: an outpouring of grief and shock, and a celebration of Helen McCrory the actress from fans everywhere, and of Helen the person,” said Lewis. “And that’s who I want to talk about.”
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Damian Lewis (as Daniel) and Helen McCrory (as Miranda) in the production ‘Five Gold Rings’ at the Almeida Theatre in London. (Photo by robbie jack/Corbis via Getty Images)
“Helen was an even more brilliant person than she was an actress,” he continued. “She was a people person, sure. ‘I’m much more interested in who I’m with than where I am,’ she would say, and innately wanted to share. But she also lived by the principle of kindness and generosity. That you put these things out into the world to make it better, to make people feel better.”
Lewis noted that even during her final days, McCrory was determined to “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 half-delirious state,” he recalled. “I’ve never known anyone able to enjoy life as much. Her ability to be in the present and enjoy the moment was inspirational. Nor was she interested in navel-gazing. No real interest in self-reflection; she believed in looking out, not in. Which is why she was able to turn her light so brightly on others.”
Lewis described how McCrory was “utterly heroic” as she battled her illness.
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Damian Lewis said his wife Helen McCrory was “utterly heroic” as she battled cancer. (Photo by Target Presse Agentur Gmbh/Getty Images)
“… [She was] Funny, of course — generous, brave, uncomplaining, constantly reminding us all of how lucky we’ve been, how blessed we are,” he wrote. “Her generosity has extended to encouraging us three to live. Live fully, take opportunities, have adventures.”
“Already I miss her,” he said. “She has shone more brightly in the last months than you would imagine even the brightest star could shine. In life, too, we had to rise to meet her. But her greatest and most exquisite act of bravery and generosity has been to ‘normalize’ 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.”
“I’m staggered by her,” Lewis added. “She’s been a meteor in our life.”
