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DAME MAGGIE SMITH'S SON TOBY STEPHENS HAS OPENED UP ABOUT THE HARRY POTTER STAR'S FINAL DAYS, REVEALING HIS HEARTBREAKING LAST CONVERSATION WITH THE ACTING LEGEND 18:23, 21 Apr
2025 Toby Stephens has opened up about the heart-wrenching final exchanges with his late mother, Dame Maggie Smith. The cherished actress from Downton Abbey and the Harry Potter series
passed away in hospital last September at 89-years-old. Her sons Toby and Chris Larkin shared the news in a statement back then, praising her as "an extraordinary mother and
grandmother" and sharing their profound grief. In a recent chat with the Times, Toby revealed that the Oscar-winning legend had been fading over the last couple of years of her life and
had completely withdrawn from acting in 2023. Toby recounted: "She was in hospital. She was supposed to be coming out. But the last two years of her life had been a decline: she would
get worse, then she would get better, then she would get worse." Article continues below Despite her deteriorating health, Maggie insisted that Toby proceed with his plans to shoot a
horror movie in New Zealand, urging him with the words: "She said, 'Go do it. God, you don't want to hang round here, I'm fine.'" Tragically, shortly after he
landed, doctors told him her condition was not expected to get better, leaving her remaining time uncertain. Toby has poignantly recalled speaking to his mother just before she slipped into
a state of unresponsiveness. He opened up, saying: "I'd spent hours and days sitting with her at home and in hospital over the course of two years, and there was nothing I had left
unsaid.", reports the Express. Tragically, Maggie passed away on September 27, coincidentally a mere day prior to the completion of filming for Marama. At the time, Toby's wife
Anna-Louise Plowman, along with their trio of kids, kept vigil at the hospital. While Toby was absent, his sibling Chris Larkin remained with their mum in her fading moments. The vacant
space left Toby confessing his "so sad" feelings for not being present as well. Reflecting on the ordeal, he added: "I found that very difficult, but she was no longer aware.
And it allowed me some space to actually get my head round what had happened." He further acknowledged the wave of condolences and fond reminiscences of his mother’s earlier theatrical
and television triumphs. Article continues below In his conversation with the Times, Toby expressed warmth from the tributes, noting: "What really got me was: it's very rare that
you have actors that everyone likes. "And she had spent her life not thinking of herself like that, which is very winning. If she had thought of herself like that it would have been
ghastly. But she wasn't like that at all." WANT ALL THE BIGGEST SHOWBIZ AND TV NEWS STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX? SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE DAILY STAR SHOWBIZ NEWSLETTER.