Born in London, award-winning actress Helen McCrory has been a significant part of the UK's cultural world. She has starred in iconic movies like Harry Potter and most recently won our hearts again by playing the character of Polly Gray in the Peaky Blinders. The actress died of breast cancer at her home in London on 16 April 2021 at the age of 56.
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Reportedly, she swore her friends to secrecy about her breast cancer. Her husband - Damian Lewis - announced the news on X.
Helen McCrory leaves her £850K estate to husband Damian Lewis
Helen and Damian, one of the most popular power couples of Hollywood, had been married for nearly 14 years. Best known for his work in projects such as Homeland, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and Billions, Lewis shared two kids with McCrory - Manon, 17 and Gulliver, 16. According to Hello Magazine, the two met when they were performing in Five Gold Rings at London's Almeida Theatre.
Helen had previously revealed that one of the biggest reasons she was attracted to the Lewis was that he made her laugh a lot. The pair got married in July 2007 in front of family and friends at the Kensington and Chelsea Registry Office. It is understood that the two shared a happy marriage and Damian was very supportive of Helen and her work. Naturally, their love echoes long after her death. Helen’s will reveals she left her entire £850k estate to her husband Damian Lewis and two children.
In probate documents released shortly after her death, it was revealed that Helen had put her fortune into a trust and named Damian and Coutts Bank as trustees. MailOnline confirmed that the couple’s two teenage children alongside any future grandchildren have been named as beneficiaries.
The 53-year-old later spoke of Helen having urged him to live life to the full after her death, confirms Mirror. Damian said:
She said to us from her bed, 'I want daddy to have girlfriends, lots of them, you must all love again, love isn't possessive, but you know, Damian, try at least to get through the funeral without snogging someone.'
Looks like Damian has granted Helen her wish as he revealed his romance with US rocker Alison Mosshart. The two were spotted getting cosy right after Helen’s will about her £850k estate was made public.
The relationship made official
Damian and Alison first confirmed their romance when they were spotted getting cosy at private members' club The House of KOKO's summer party - 14 months after the death of Helen McCrory. While the Homeland actor was devastated by his wife’s death, it was revealed from the start that Helen wanted him to move on in life. During the initial days of their relationship, Damian kept his wedding ring firmly on.
Since the early days of their relationship, the couple has made many public appearances, reports Tatler. They were spotted together at the Serpentine Summer Party, the National Gallery fundraising party (alongside Sienna Miller and Lara Stone), the Grand Prix at Silverstone and The House of KOKO, alongside friends Ellie Goulding, Darren Strowger, and Alison’s bandmate, Jamie Hince.
Who is Alison Mosshart?
According to Stereogum, Alison ‘wild child’ Mosshart is one of the busiest people in music. She has been the vocal force of The Kills for the last few decades. During the first half of the 2010s, she also fronted the equally hypnotic Dead Weather, a rock supergroup with Jack White, Dean Fertita, and Jack Lawrence.
Alison grew up on Florida's east coast, where her dad Mark owns a car wholesale business appropriately named Alison Auto Brokers. Her mother Vivian shared she has performed under the stage name Baby Ruthless and has been into music since she was nine months old. She played drums in sixth grade and had formed her own punk band by the time she was 11 or 12.
However, her mother emphasised that Alison should not be pigeonholed as a punk rock singer. Comparing her to Eton-educated Damian, Vivian added:
She's not an easy one to sum up. She's a complicated, beautiful lady, and very intelligent.
She's so very talented in so many areas that it constantly surprises us. It amazes us, actually. We are very proud.
When her bandmate Jamie Hince began dating Kate Moss in 2007, Alison formed a close friendship with the supermodel, reveals MailOnline. Despite having a party girl reputation and running in A-list circles, Alison has always denied using drugs and said she preferred cigarettes, red wine and coffee.
Alison’s parents on her romance with Damian Lewis
Alison’s mother also revealed that the pair met through mutual friends while hanging out in London. They instantly grew fond of each other and developed a bond in a relationship. In 2022, when their romance was still new, Alison’s mother Vivian told MailOnline:
I don't know how much flak I'm going to get for all of this but of course, we are excited for her.
They have mutual friends. I don't know exactly how they met but I'm fine with it. If she's happy, we are happy. I'm yet to meet him but certainly I'd like to.
Vivian said she was aware of the actor's heartbreaking background story - but was less familiar with his lead roles in hit shows such as Band of Brothers and Billions. She shared:
I think I've seen Billions a couple of times but normally we just watch movies. I heard he has a new show coming out but I haven't seen any of it.
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Sources Used
Hello Magazine: All you need to know about Damian Lewis' 14-year marriage to Helen McCrory
Daily Mail: Helen McCrory left her £850k estate to her two children and husband Damian Lewis after her death from breast cancer - as he confirms new romance with Alison Mosshart
Mirror: Helen McCrory left 850k estate to Damian Lewis and sons, as he embarks on new romance
Tatler: Who is Alison Mosshart, Damian Lewis’s rocker girlfriend?
Stereogum: We’ve Got A File On You: Alison Mosshart
MailOnline: The wild child who healed Damian Lewis's broken heart: How the Eton-educated widower tamed US rock singer Alison Mosshart - after getting together 14 months on from death of his wife Helen McCrory
