Helen McCrory swore friends to secrecy as she dealt 'heroically' with her gruelling cancer treatment while continuing to carry out charity work just weeks before her death aged 52, a colleague revealed today. In Peaky Blinders she played Polly Gray, aunt of Cillian Murphy's Tommy Shelby and the treasurer of the Peaky Blinders crime family. Television presenter Dermot O'Leary paid tribute to McCrory, tweeting: 'Had the good fortune to meet and interview Helen McCrory a few times. A spokesman for the Old Vic said: 'We are devastated to hear of the loss of Helen McCrory. Mark Gatiss added: 'Unbearable and unbelievable that Helen McCrory has gone.. A genuine firecracker with an aching vulnerability.

Source: The Nation April 17, 2021 10:08 UTC