"Snape was a brilliant character," she told The Times in an interview published Jan. 14, "and Harry Potter was an important part of Alan's life."
Rima recalled how the Love Actually alum navigated the shocking diagnosis with a level head.
"The first thing he ever said to the oncologist was, 'I don't want to die in pain,' and they made sure he didn't," she recalled. "I think he wanted to say goodbye to his friends and have it under his control. He even organised his own funeral because he didn't want it to be a mess."
"We didn't tell anybody apart from our families at first," she explained. "Alan didn't want people to look at him and say, 'Oh, how sad.'"
Although the couple knew that chemotherapy wouldn't be effective in his battle, they decided to move forward with the treatment.
"We knew it was fully grown and had spread," Rima shared. "We knew the chemo wouldn't work, but you live in hope. You say, maybe we'll be the exception where it does."
For more celebrities who've shared insight into cancer battles, keep reading.
For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News AppCurated by Jasmine Lee
