Welsh actress Angharad Rees loses battle with cancer

Welsh actress Angharad Rees has died following a long battle with pancreatic cancer, her family said.

Rees, who starred in BBC drama series Poldark in the 1970s after first appearing on screen in The Way We Live Now in 1969, also enjoyed an extensive theatre career.

A statement released by her family said:

Rees, who was 63, was married to the late Dynasty actor Christopher Cazenove for more than 20 years and they had two sons together, Linford and Rhys, 35.

Linford, the elder of the two, died in a car crash on the M11 in Essex in 1999 aged 26.

She went on to marry David McAlpine in 2005, with whom she lived in London.

Rees, who played Demelza in Poldark, also had a role in cult classic Jack the Ripper film "Hands Of The Ripper," while on stage she appeared in "The Winter's Tale," "Richard II" and "Romeo And Juliet."

In addition to her acting success, she also founded an eponymously titled jewellery design company based in Knightsbridge, with her pieces featured in the film "Elizabeth, The Golden Age."

Her family said she remained an active supporter of the arts and was an honorary fellow of Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff.

Her funeral will be private but there are plans for a service in celebration of her life which will be announced at a later date.