Haydn Gwynne dies aged 66

British actress Haydn Gwynne died at the age of 66 on Friday.

The stage and screen actress died in hospital on Friday after being diagnosed with cancer in September.

"It is with great sadness we are sharing with you that, following her recent diagnosis with cancer, the star of stage and screen Haydn Gwynne died in hospital in the small hours of Friday 20 October, surrounded by her beloved sons, close family and friends," her agent told BBC News.

"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 had to pull out of the Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends tribute revue before it opened in London last month due to her cancer diagnosis. However, at the time, she attributed her withdrawal to "sudden personal circumstances".

Gwynne is best known for TV shows such as Drop the Dead Donkey, Peak Practice, Merseybeat and The Windsors, in which she played a parody of Queen Camilla.

She also portrayed Lady Susan Hussey in the fifth season of The Crown and former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in Peter Morgan's play The Audience.

On the stage, Gwynne was nominated for both Tony and Olivier awards for her performance as Mrs. Wilkinson in Billy Elliot the Musical on Broadway and London's West End.

She received three more Olivier nominations for City of Angels, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown and The Threepenny Opera. She was also nominated for the Best Light Entertainment Performance BAFTA for Drop the Dead Donkey in 1992.

Gwynne had two sons with her partner, Jason Phipps.