Manon McCrory Becomes Youth Ambassador for Sir HvH Arts

It’s been four years since the death of Peaky Blinders and Harry Potter star Helen McCrory.

Now, her daughter, Manon, 19, has spoken publicly for the first time about the beloved late star – and the deeply moving way she is keeping her memory alive.

Manon, whose father is Homeland star Damian Lewis, 54, has revealed she has taken her mother’s surname to honour her legacy and is following in her philanthropic footsteps

The London-born art student has become a youth ambassador for the Sir Hubert Von Herkomer Arts Foundation (HVH), which was incredibly close to her mother’s heart.

Helen, who died from breast cancer aged 52 in April 2021 after keeping the diagnosis secret from the public, was a patron since its inception in 2013.

The charity, run by photographer Debbi Clark, provides free art education and creative opportunities for young people from underprivileged backgrounds.

Speaking exclusively to the Daily Mail, Manon said: ‘The reason I became involved with HVH was through my mother, who was constantly looking for new ways to shine light on the London youth.

‘Involving myself was important.

‘I’ve participated in some of HVH’s courses before and love the way it encourages young people of varied ages to be inspired by one another; working together on projects that they are passionate about with the support of HVH and without the limitations and rules some children feel are enforced in schools.’

She added: ‘The role of the youth ambassador is varied but often involves working with the HVH team – notably the wonderfully talented Debbi Clark – to come up with course ideas, so the children have autonomy over their passions and how they want to develop them.’

Helen, whose best-known screen roles include Polly Gray in Peaky Blinders, Narcissa Malfoy in Harry Potter and MP Clair Dowar in James Bond: Skyfall, was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2017 for services to drama.

She met Damian in 2003 while playing his love interest in Five Gold Rings at the Almeida Theatre in London. They married four years later.

When Helen died after a private battle with breast cancer, Damian said she had ‘died peacefully at home, surrounded by a wave of love from friends and family’.

The couple had two children – Manon and her younger brother, Gulliver, 17.

Now studying Fine Art at Central Saint Martins in London, Manon is carving her own path in the creative world.

She’s influenced by her parents, but determined not to copy them.

‘I’ve always been slightly nervous to go into film,’ she explained ‘even if it is fine art as opposed to cinema – because of the obvious relation to my parents; I want to make a name for myself apart from my parents’ success. Having said this, I’m very aware of the opportunities I have been given – out of total luck – due to their fame.’

Her decision to take her mother’s surname is another way she is keeping Helen’s influence alive.

She said: ‘My mum always went by her maiden name and for me that name now represents the strong female presence in my family, which I hope I now embody. I love the Lewis name and my family and don’t wish to disassociate myself from it.

‘Superficially, Manon McCrory also has a ring to it that Manon McCrory-Lewis doesn’t quite have.’

Damian has spoken previously about navigating grief while raising their children, crediting Helen’s strength and humour for helping them through the hardest days.

Earlier this year, he revealed he is still processing her death, saying: ‘There’s a well-known psychological state in grief, or post any sort of trauma, which is called the manic defence.

‘I have the manic defence in a very pronounced way, which is that you affirm life.’

He added: ‘So in amongst the inevitable days of being in a heap on the floor bawling your eyes out, there is your manic defence, which is like, “Come on, live life, move forward,” and reaffirm life… Life is there for the taking, to be lived.

‘Especially when you have two children – making sure they have a sense that everything is not over.’

The Eton-educated actor, who has been in a relationship with American singer Alison Mosshart, 46, of The Kills, since 2022, became a patron of HVH following Helen’s death.

Last year, he hosted the HVH Arts McCrory Award exhibition – named in honour of Helen – in central London, where he was joined by Bob Marley actor Kingsley Ben-Adir and filmmaker Sadie Frost.

The McCrory Award is a grant awarded annually to support gifted but disadvantaged young people who, the charity’s website states, ‘do not have access to the resources, the training and the finances to support them in their chosen medium’.