Yorkshire actress Dame Diana Rigg has died at the age of 82

Actress Dame Diana Rigg - famous for playing James Bond's wife in On Her Majesty's Secret Service - has died at the age of 82.
Dame Dian Rigg in 1996Dame Dian Rigg in 1996
Dame Dian Rigg in 1996

Railway engineer's daughter Rigg was born in Doncaster in 1938, though she spent some of her early childhood in India. She later boarded at Fulneck School in Pudsey, near Leeds, and her parents lived in Roundhay, before she trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Her birth name was Enid, with Diana being a middle name.

She was best known for her roles in The Avengers and, more recently, Game of Thrones, and was a renowned beauty in the 1960s.

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Rigg was married twice and had a daughter, Rachael, with her second husband Archibald Stirling, whom she divorced in 1990.

Dame Diana and her daughter Rachael in 1994Dame Diana and her daughter Rachael in 1994
Dame Diana and her daughter Rachael in 1994

A statement from her agent Simon Beresford said: “It is with tremendous sadness that we announce that Dame Diana Rigg died peacefully early this morning.

“She was at home with her family who have asked for privacy at this difficult time. Dame Diana was an icon of theatre, film, and television.

“She was the recipient of Bafta, Emmy, Tony and Evening Standard Awards for her work on stage and screen.

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“Dame Diana was a much loved and admired member of her profession, a force of nature who loved her work and her fellow actors. She will be greatly missed.”

Her daughter Rachael, who is also an actress, said: "My Beloved Ma died peacefully in her sleep early this morning, at home, surrounded by family. She died of cancer diagnosed in March, and spent her last months joyfully reflecting on her extraordinary life, full of love, laughter and a deep pride in her profession. I will miss her beyond words”.

Rigg is currently on screen in the new Channel Five version of All Creatures Great and Small, playing Mrs Pumphrey. Filming finished shortly before her diagnosis.

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