Smith Bald During Potter Film

Tuesday 6th October 2009 - 06:30:00

Actress Dame Maggie Smith was hiding a sad secret while filming Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince - chemotherapy to treat breast cancer had left her bald.

The 74 year old plays Professor McGonagall in the wizard franchise, andhas always worn a bushy wig under a witch's hat for her scenes.

But the hair piece in the sixth film was also covering up the effects of intense treatment to destroy cancerous cells last year (08).

I had no problem getting the wig on

Smith says, "I was hairless. I had no problem getting the wig on. I waslike a boiled egg".

And the veteran star is worried about how she will cope on the set of the final wizarding movie, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, which hasbeen split into two parts "I've still got to stagger through the last Potter".

The experience of losing her hair was difficult for Smith, who admits it was "very weird" to wear hats and hair pieces to cover her baldness.