Helen McCrory has died from cancer aged 52, her “heartbroken” husband Damian Lewis has said.

The “beautiful and mighty” actress, who was known for starring in hit crime drama Peaky Blinders and James Bond film Skyfall, died peacefully at home, he said.

In a tweet on Friday afternoon, Mr Lewis wrote: “I’m heartbroken to announce that after an heroic battle with cancer, the beautiful and mighty woman that is Helen McCrory has died peacefully at home, surrounded by a wave of love from friends and family.

“She died as she lived. Fearlessly. God we love her and know how lucky we are to have had her in our lives. She blazed so brightly. Go now Little One, into the air, and thank you.”

McCrory was born in Paddington, London, to a Welsh mother and Scottish-born father and was the eldest of three children.

She attended school in Hertfordshire, then spent a year living in Italy, before returning to London to study acting at the Drama Centre.

McCrory and Lewis married in 2007 and share a daughter Manon, born in 2006, and son Gulliver, born in 2007.