Haydn Gwynne, star of stage and screen, dies aged 66

Celebrated actor was nominated for multiple Olivier awards in her theatrical roles and best known for Drop the Dead Donkey and The Windsors on TV

The actor Haydn Gwynne has died of cancer at the age of 66. In a statement on Friday, her agent said that Gwynne had died in hospital surrounded by her beloved sons, close family and friends. We would like to thank the staff and teams at the Royal Marsden and Brompton hospitals for their wonderful care over the last few weeks."

Gwynne, who played the sardonic assistant editor Alex Pates in Channel 4's newsroom satire Drop the Dead Donkey, had a celebrated career on stage. She received Olivier and Tony award nominations as the dance teacher in Billy Elliot the Musical (in London and New York) and three other Olivier nominations for the musical productions City of Angels, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (based on Pedro Almodovar's film) and The Threepenny Opera.