Dame Maggie Smith's two marriages, heartbreak, grandchildren and health struggles

The on-screen legend has had an incredible career spanning seventy years, as well as an incredible family life with two sons, both actors too, and five beloved grandchildren

Actress Dame Maggie Smith, known for the Harry Potter films and Downton Abbey, has died at the age of 89.

The on-screen icon's death was announced by her family today, after a period in hospital.

The acting legend won two Oscars in her time, and was nominated for and won countless other awards and accolades. She reached her arguable largest audience thanks to her role as Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter film franchise.

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A statement from her sons Toby Stephens and Chris Larkin 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."

Known for her compassion off screen as well as on, the actress was a patron for the International Glaucoma Association, and raised thousands each year for various charities.

Her love life

She met her second husband at 18-years-old, before she met her first husband, but her second husband was already married at the time.

She met her first husband, Robert Stephens, and the pair wed in 1967. The couple welcomed two children - who have both gone into acting too - Chris and Toby.

The pair divorced in 1973. Robert went on to marry Irish actress Patricia Quinn, who he was married to until his death in 1995.

Maggie went on to marry playwright Beverley Cross in 1975, and the pair remained an item until his death in 1998.

Rcealling his first impression of Maggie, Beverley said previously: "She was totally unique in not speaking that kind of Oxford theatrical voice in the days when everyone was impersonating Olivier."

“I thought, There you go, that’s someone very special; that’s someone worth watching. She was very striking with that red hair, very thin, very tall.” She was also “very vulnerable, and very, very funny.”

He sadly passed away in London in 1998 aged 66 from an aneurysm.

In a 2013 interview with 60 Minutes, Maggie spoke about her heartbreak and missing her husband since his passing.

"I don't know. It seems a bit pointless," she told Steve Kroft. "Going on one's own and not having someone to share it with."

When asked if she was interested in finding love again, she said "absolutely not."

Family

Maggie has two sons, and has five grandchildren.

Her eldest son Chris born in 1967, has two children with his wife, Suki Stephens.

Their names are Daisy Grace Stephens, born in 2006, and Nathaniel Stephens, born in 2008.

Maggie’s second child, Toby, has three kids with his wife, New Zealand actress Anna-Louise Plowman.

They have one son Elijah Alistair Stephens, born in 2007, and two daughters, Tallulah Tara and Kura Stephens, born in 2009.

Her health

The beloved actress faced a number of health issues over the course of her 70 year career.

She was first diagnosed with Graves disease in 1988. About 3 in 4 people with an overactive thyroid have a condition called Graves' disease, according to the HSE.

"Graves' disease is an autoimmune condition. This means the immune system attacks the body by mistake. It damages the thyroid and causes it to become overactive.

The cause of Graves' disease is unknown, but it is most common in women aged 20 to 50.

She also dealt with breast cancer, after being diagnosed in 2007 while filming Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince.

She was given the all-clear after two years of treatment.

In 2012, reports emerged that she was dealing with heart issues, though her team at the time said she was fine and well.

She also dealt with Glaucoma, and became a patron of the International Glaucoma Association, now known as Glaucoma UK.

Glaucoma is a condition that results in damage to the optic nerve which connects the eye to the brain, says Optical Express.

This causes gradual and permanent vision loss. It is the world's leading cause of blindness.

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