Dame Maggie Smith 'burst into tears' in first-ever performance at school

Dame Maggie Smith's neighbour, Jackie Nelson, 91, recalls how her 'shy but nice' friend read a Scottish poem at school, but was left in tears while the rest of the class howled with laughter

Dame Maggie Smith’s childhood friend said the star “burst into tears” during her first-ever performance - reading a poem at school. Jackie Nelson, 91, was pals with the legendary actor when they were little at St James Primary School in Oxford.

She recalled The Harry Potter star as a “shy girl”, who started crying when classmates laughed at her poetry recital. Jackie, from Oxford, said: “Margaret was a very shy, but nice little girl.

“My most vivid memory is when we were in class at the age of about 10 years old and we were asked to recite our favourite poem. Margaret, whose mother was Scottish, started to recite Bobby Burns’ Mouse in a broad Scottish accent and we all burst into laughter. But she burst into tears and I’ll always remember that.”

She added: “During the Second World War, Margaret arrived with her mother and they lodged across the road. We used to play together outside on the street when she was about five and I was six.”

The girls attended school together with Maggie in the year below and the two became great friends. Maggie died at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London last month, aged 89.