Dame Maggie Smith's health struggles and candid reflections on mortality
Dame Maggie Smith, the iconic theatre and acting legend, had come to terms with her mortality before her peaceful passing.
Th e Downton Abbey star, who passed away today at the age of 89, first gained fame for her performance in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie in 1969, which earned her her first Academy Award. Over the decades, she became a beloved national treasure in the UK, particularly known for her portrayal of Professor McGonagall in the Harry Potter series, reports the Mirror.
Her sons, Toby Stephens and Chris Larkin, announced her death, sharing that she passed away peacefully in a hospital. "We would like to extend our deepest gratitude to the wonderful staff at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital for their care and unwavering kindness during her final days," they said in a statement. "Thank you for your messages of support, and we kindly ask for privacy during this difficult time."
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Maggie had been open about her health struggles over the years, notably her diagnosis of breast cancer at the age of 74. She once described chemotherapy as a "hideous" ordeal, saying it made her feel worse than the illness itself. "I used to go to treatment alone, while nearly everyone else had someone with them," she recalled. "I wouldn’t have liked that. Why would you want to make anyone sit in such places?"
Her cancer diagnosis followed the discovery of a lump on her breast, and the treatment process was swift, leaving her little time to process it all. Fortunately, she was given the all-clear by doctors and returned to her acting career, even filming Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince during her treatment. She joked about how easy it was to fit the wig during that time, saying, "I was like a boiled egg," according to journalist Tim Teeman.
In addition to her battle with cancer, Maggie was also diagnosed with Graves' disease, an autoimmune disorder that can lead to serious complications. At just 33, while working on the play Lettice and Lovage, she began to experience troubling symptoms, including irritated, bulging eyes that gave her a "frightening" appearance.
The condition, which followed a cycling accident that broke her arm, left her feeling trapped in a "fog of despair." She underwent radiotherapy and optical surgery, taking a year away from the spotlight to recover.
These health challenges shaped Maggie’s perspective on life and death. "I was relieved to be the age I was because by then you feel like it’s all over anyway," she said candidly in 2009. "That’s why I hated seeing young people undergoing treatment. It didn’t seem fair. To be honest, you feel so ghastly that you wouldn’t mind dying a lot of the time."
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