Warwick Davis breaks down in tears at Baftas 2025 dedicating special award to late wife-Asyia Iftikhar-Entertainment – Metro

British actor Warwick Davis was visibly emotional as he paid tribute to his late wife during his speech at the Baftas 2025.

The EE Bafta 2025 film awards ceremony is well underway with winners across major titles such as Anora, The Brutalist and Emilia Perez.

The 55-year-old star, known for roles in Willow and Harry Potter, was the newest recipient of the Bafta Fellowship, the highest honour awarded by the British Academy.

His Harry Potter co-star Tom Felton introduced Warwick with a heartfelt tribute to the actor saying that he had a huge impact on his own life.

Warwick then took to the stage. ‘Wow, thank you so much. Well this is probably the best thing that’s ever happened to me and I’ve been in Star Wars,’ he joked at the start of his acceptance speech.

He then thanked his mum, ‘his very first agent’ and shared that ‘life has been pretty tough’ since his wife, Samantha, died in March 2024, dedicating the award to her.

British actor Warwick Davis dedicates emotional Bafta win to late wife (Picture: Getty)

The Star Wars actor thanked his children, and co-stars in a poignant acceptance speech (Picture: Samir Hussein/WireImage)

The star thanked Ralph Fiennes for teaching him to ‘love and laugh again’ (Picture: Getty)

‘She was always so supportive of my career and encouraged me to grab every opportunity with both hands, ‘ he said.

He added: ‘Thank you to the support of our wonderful children [Harrison and Annabelle], I’ve been able to keep engaging in life.’

Before tearing up while he thanked Voldemort star Ralph Fiennes for teaching him to ‘laugh and love again’ who is at the ceremony with his acclaimed movie Conclave.

The Tenable presenter revealed that he found out about being chosen for the honour last November in the most unusual circumstance.

‘I was actually on the toilet reading my emails and received one from Bafta, with a letter attached, saying: “You’ve been awarded a fellowship”

‘I was excited but thought ‘hang on, it could be a scam’, so I checked the email address it came from, and it was indeed a Bafta email address.

‘Then I got very excited and jumped off the loo and ran around the house telling the kids and the dog,’ he recalled to PA news agency earlier this evening.

His wife Samantha died in March 2024 (Picture: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)

In a statement accepting the fellowship last month, he thanked Bafta for ‘believing in his journey’.

He continued: ‘I accept this Fellowship in honour of everyone living with dwarfism or any form of difference, reminding us that our uniqueness can be our greatest asset.

‘The Fellowship, to me, embodies the spirit of inclusivity, creativity, and collaboration that Bafta stands for.

‘This recognition is not just about the body of work I’ve contributed but also about the people who’ve stood by me and the audiences who have made this journey worthwhile.’

He then thanked his ‘wonderful colleagues and friends’ and said he looked forward to ‘continuing to champion fresh perspectives, advocate for better representation and inspire the next generation of storytellers to dream big.’

He joins previous recipients such as Dame Judi Dench, Dame Maggie Smith, and Martin Scorcese.

Warwick shared a poignant statement about his wife in April 2024.

‘Her passing has left a huge hole in our lives as a family. I miss her hugs. He went on to describe his late spouse as his “most trusted confidant and an ardent supporter of everything I did in my career.

‘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,” he said.

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