Dame Maggie Smith’s heartbreaking admission after husband’s tragic death left her ‘lonely’ & grief-stricken

MAGGIE Smith spent the last two decades of her life missing her husband Beverley Cross after making a heartbreaking admission following his death.

The couple were married for 23 years before Beverley tragically passed away in 1998.

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Maggie Smith and her husband Beverley Cross who died in 1998[/caption]

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The couple in 1987 after reigniting their flame[/caption]

In a 2013 interview with 60 Minutes, Maggie spoke briefly about mourning the loss of her husband.

She said: “I don’t know. It seems a bit pointless. Going on one’s own and not having someone to share it with.”

They first met in 1952 in Oxford, where Beverley was a student.

It was love at first sight for the playwright when he spotted 18-year-old Maggie, even though he was married to someone else.

Unable to shake the feeling that Maggie was the one, Beverley divorced his wife and quickly proposed to the legend.

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It comes as…

• Dame Maggie Smith has died aged 89
•  Her last picture showed the actress posing for a fashion campaign
•  Tributes have been paid to the star by fellow celebs
•  Her long health battle with cancer has been revealed
•  Dame Maggie spent the last two decades mourning her late husband
•  Maggie spent her final days surrounded by her beloved sons

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But the divorce took longer than expected.

Despite Beverley begging for Maggie to wait for him, she married actor Robert Stephens.

During their eight-year marriage, Maggie and Robert had two kids before calling it quits in 1975.

She swiftly reignited the flame with Beverley and the rest became history – with him helping raise her two sons, Chris and Toby.

On being able to find Beverley again, she said: “I’m remarkably fortunate. When you meet again someone you should have married in the first place, it’s like a script.

“That kind of luck is too good to be true.”

Maggie sadly died today aged 89 after an incredible 70-year career on stage and screen.

Her sons Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens said she died in hospital early this morning.

In a statement issued via their publicist, they said: “It is with great sadness we have to announce the death of Dame Maggie Smith.

“She passed away peacefully in hospital early this morning, Friday 27th September.

“An intensely private person, she was with friends and family at the end.

“She leaves two sons and five loving grandchildren who are devastated by the loss of their extraordinary mother and grandmother.

“We would like to take this opportunity to thank the wonderful staff at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital for their care and unstinting kindness during her final days.

“We thank you for all your kind messages and support and ask that you respect our privacy at this time.”

She was born Margaret Natalie Smith in December 1934 in Ilford, east London, to a Scottish secretary mum and pathologist dad.

The star moved to Oxford when she was four after her father got a job at the university and later left school to study acting at the Oxford Playhouse.

Aged just 17, Maggie got her first role as Viola in Twelfth Night before appearing in Cinderella, Rookery Nook and The Government Inspector.

In 1957, she landed a role opposite Kenneth Williams in the musical comedy Share My Lettuce.

This led to regular appearances in a string of plays at the Old Vic theatre, including The Rehearsal and Mary, Mary.

While starring in The Double Dealer, Maggie caught the eye of Laurence Olivier who invited her to become part of his National Theatre Company.

Maggie went on to appear opposite the actor in Othello, with the pair famed for their professional rivalry.

In 1958, the actress made her screen debut in Nowhere to Go but it wasn’t until her Oscar-winning performance in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie 11 years later that she gained international fame.

Maggie continued to appear on stage in a number of plays – winning a Tony Award for her role in Broadway comedy Private Lives.

During this time, she won her second Academy Award for best supporting actress in California Suite alongside Michael Caine.

Maggie received further nominations for roles in A Room with a View and Gosford Park.

She appeared in a number of comedies, including Sister Act, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and Quartet.

In 2001, Maggie took the role as Hogwarts deputy headmistress Professor McGonagall in the Harry Potter series of films.

She played the Transfiguration teacher in seven of the eight films until 2011.

Maggie won three Emmys for her portrayal of as Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham, in Downton Abbey.

The actress became a firm fan favourite for her acerbic put-downs during the five-year series and two subsequent films.

Away from the screen, Maggie married actor Robert Stephens in June 1967.

The couple shared two sons, actors Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens, before they divorced eight years later,

Maggie later went on to wed playwright Beverley Cross in 1975 before his death in 1998.

She previously opened up about her health battles, including treatment for Graves’ disease in 1988.

In 2007, it emerged Maggie had been diagnosed with breast cancer but she went on to make a full recovery.

The actress was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 1990 and was named a Companion of Honour (CH) in 2014.

Speaking about her glittering career previously, Maggie said: “Honest to God, I have no idea where the urge [to act] came from. It was such a ghastly time and we didn’t go to the theatre.

“I got into terrible trouble once because the neighbours took me to the cinema on a Sunday, but I had a wonderful teacher, Dorothy Bartholomew, who also taught Miriam Margolyes, and who encouraged me.”