The heartbreaking story of how Anthony Head's tragic partner Sarah Fisher owed her years of happiness with horses to a close friend who left her everything after she lost her child and then died in a riding accident

After a relationship lasting nearly four decades, Ted Lasso star Anthony Head was left devastated when his partner Sarah Fisher died suddenly just days before Christmas.

Speaking on behalf of the family, the couple's two daughters - Daisy and Emily - told how their mother's death at the age of 61 had been 'immensely shocking to all of us, and came with very little warning'.

In a moving tribute to their 'extraordinary, kind and talented mother', the sisters, both acclaimed actresses, said of Sarah: 'We know how profoundly she has impacted the lives of so many, and we couldn't be more proud of the legacy she is leaving behind.'

They were, in many ways, referring to the work of their mother - who the Daily Mail revealed this month had died from a rare and aggressive form of thyroid cancer - as an animal welfare campaigner.

While supporting her husband on his journey from a TV ad heartthrob to international star, Sarah dedicated her life to running a sanctuary for rescued horses, ponies and donkeys and her work as a specialist dog behaviourist.

Now the Daily Mail can reveal for the first time the extraordinary backstory of the heartbreaking double tragedy that set Sarah on her chosen path.

And it was a different kind of legacy, we can reveal, that enabled her to launch her lifetime mission.

Anthony, 72, and Sarah set up their 90-acre sanctuary in memory of their late 'dear friend' Cynthia Lund and her daughter Erin who tragically died aged just three after losing her own agonising fight with cancer.

Cynthia is said to have never recovered from the death of her daughter in 1994 and after moving to France in a bid to escape her past she was tragically killed in a horse riding accident four years later.

The families had grown increasingly close during Erin's illness as the toddler underwent treatment at Great Ormond Street Hospital.

Anthony and Sarah supported Cynthia throughout the traumatic ordeal and when Erin briefly went into remission, the families moved from London to Somerset - sharing precious time together in what would become their countryside home.

Probate documents uncovered by the Daily Mail reveal it was during that period that Cynthia changed her will - leaving everything she owned to Sarah.

Listing her address as Anthony and Sarah's family home near Bath, in Somerset, she formally revoked all previous 'testamentary dispositions' she had made to draw up her 'last will'.

In the document, signed and witnessed on June 1, 1996, Cynthia bequeathed her entire estate 'both real and personal whatsoever and wheresoever' to Sarah.

Probate was formally granted in November 1998 - five months after Cynthia's death in Brittany on June 23.

And in accordance with her wishes, Sarah ensured that their shared dream would be fulfilled when she and her husband purchased a nearby agricultural property called Tilley Farm for £425,000 in 2001.

They then set about transforming the land - now estimated to be worth millions - into their equine sanctuary and 'a haven for wildlife'.

As Sarah developed her knowledge and skills over the years, she went on to set up her Animal Centred Education (ACE) programme providing courses and workshops that offer 'an integrated approach to animal wellbeing and education'.

Alongside this, she was a long-term ambassador and fosterer for Battersea Dogs and Cats Home and a patron of several animal charities.

The couple chronicled their remarkable journey in a detailed account on their website of how they came to be 'the custodians' of the 'incredible land'.

They wrote: 'It is thanks to both Cynthia and Erin that Tilley Farm is the peaceful sanctuary for animals and the tranquil learning environment for people it is today.

'Erin was diagnosed with an incurable brain tumour when she was eighteen months old. The year that followed shaped our lives.

'We purchased a period property in Somerset due to some of the extraordinary connections formed as Erin underwent treatment at Great Ormond Street Hospital.

'When Erin went into remission we made the move from London and Cynthia and Erin spent many happy days together in our home.'

Accounts from the time revealed how Erin courageously endured round after round of debilitating treatments after the tumour was diagnosed in March 1992.

After a seven-hour operation at Great Ormond Street to remove part of the tumour, doctors put her on a pioneering form of chemotherapy, which at first seemed to shrink the cancer.

But nine months later, a scan revealed it was growing rapidly. The prospect of radiotherapy, which could have left Erin brain-damaged and blind, is said to have appalled Cynthia.

Instead, she turned to a clinic in Houston, Texas, which used an alternative treatment involving protein peptides.

But the treatment failed and for the last two months of her life, Erin had shown barely a flicker of life after slipping into unconsciousness.

With morphine pushing out the pain, other children would come into her room every day, talking to her and holding her hand, even though there was no response.

With all hope gone, Cynthia took the agonising decision to end her daughter's hospital treatment to enable Erin to die at their then home in Whitton, south west London.

While Cynthia was separated from her husband, the couple reunited in the last few weeks of Erin's life and they were both said to have held her when she died.

Cynthia said following Erin's death: 'I know she's better off now. She lived every moment of her life and got the best she could out of it. That's all anyone could ask for.

'Erin was in a lot of pain at the end and very frightened. But she wanted to be with us right up until the very last moment. Now we have to be as brave as she was.'

Overwhelmed by grief, Cynthia moved to northern France in an attempt to rebuild her life - living first on a boat then renting a small property in a rural village.

It was there that animals - particularly horses - gave her a renewed purpose and were said to have helped her survive the loss of her only child.

Cynthia - who had ridden many years earlier as a child - purchased four horses which had given her 'a reason to get up in the morning and helped her find a way forward through the crashing waves of grief'.

As Cynthia struggled with one of her horses called Fleur, who she is said to have rescued from 'a limited life in a riding school', she returned to the UK to learn behaviour techniques Sarah was developing at Tilley Farm.

After her first session she spent the night with the couple at their home before travelling back to France the following morning.

It was the last time Anthony and Sarah would ever see her.

The couple explained: 'A few weeks later Cynthia fell from the back of a horse belonging to an older gentleman who ran the local shop in the village where she lived.

'She sustained a catastrophic injury and passed a few days later. It was then we learned we had been left everything in her will.'

The couple continued: 'It was important we created something positive from all the loss.

'The money we inherited enabled us to purchase Tilley Farm.

'We don't believe we "own" this land, more that we are guardians for now, and if indeed it did belong to anyone it would belong to us all.'

They added: 'Countless lives have been enhanced, and saved, thanks to this peaceful place; so many modifications to the way we connect with animals started here.

'We could not do all that we do without our family, friends and outstanding team, both two legged and four, and we will ensure this story never has an end.

'Some say it takes a village. We know it takes a farm.'

Following Cynthia's death, Fleur and another of her horses called Equinox were transported from France to be cared for in the UK by Sarah and Anthony - the first of many that would be provided a safe home by the couple.

For many years, Sarah went on to devote her life to her work on Tilley farm and continued to do so while battling cancer.

Friends told how she had undergone surgery and that she had been responding well to treatment before her health unexpectedly deteriorated.

A source at the animal rescue centre who worked closely with her said: She was winning the battle with cancer for the last two years but suddenly succumbed to complications with the disease.'

Before she died, Sarah - who has penned a number of books and guides focusing on the training and well-being of dogs, horses and donkeys - had planned to write one about Cynthia and Erin's story and their legacy.

Sarah was working as an administrative assistant at London's National Theatre when she met Anthony - who was then an up-and-coming actor and was appearing in a play at the theatre - in the 1980's.

It was a few years later that he became a household name after featuring alongside Sharon Maughan as the Gold Blend couple in a Nescafe TV advertising campaign spanning six years.

The fictional couple were neighbours whose slow-burning romance, which blossomed over cups of coffee, captivated millions of viewers.

Anthony and Sarah became parents for the first time when Emily - who is now 37 and went on to star as Carli D'Amato in the classic coming-of-age sitcom The Inbetweeners - was born in 1988.

Daisy, 34, who appeared in US drama Guilt, was born three years later.

Anthony would find global fame after starring in US cult supernatural horror series Buffy the Vampire Slayer - playing the role of Rupert Giles for seven seasons.

Landing the breakthrough role meant Anthony had to relocate to Los Angeles for five years while his family stayed behind in the UK.

He has told how he would return home between breaks in filming and has spoken of how Sarah had been a major source of support despite the distance between them.

He once said: 'There's no secret to a long-lasting relationship, although Sarah has said it's that we spend an enormous amount of time apart.

'A sense of humour is of huge importance. It's about tolerance, and liking the person you're with. I adore Sarah.'

Anthony also explained why the couple never officially married describing their relationship as 'unwedded bliss'.

Explaining how Sarah playfully refused to tie the knot he said: 'She just isn't interested. She says "f**k off" and then runs off to throw up.

'I just can't imagine my life without Sarah. And I definitely wouldn't want to'.

In recent times, the actor found new global fame thanks to hit Apple TV+ comedy Ted Lasso, in which he played ruthless club owner Rupert Mannion, as well as BBC favourite Motherland.

In a cruel parallel, Anthony portrayed the husband of Meg, played by Tanya Moodie, whose Motherland character was diagnosed with cancer.

After Sarah's death, Daisy and Emily said that their mother did not want a funeral, instead inviting people to pay tribute to her online, and vowed that ACE would continue in her memory.

Among those to pay tribute was dog trainer and TV personality Victoria Stilwell who described Sarah as her 'dear and treasured friend'.

Victoria, 56, said: 'Sarah was a fiercely loving mother, the ultimate advocate for animals' wellbeing, and a truly irreplaceable light in our world - both within and well beyond the realm of dog training and behaviour.

'Sarah was that rarest of breeds: one of those very special few who leaves behind a legacy destined to impact exponentially vast numbers of living beings - far more than the lucky few who were blessed to know her, watch her genius work with animals, and share space with a powerful woman whose brilliance was matched only by her beautiful grace.

'I was blessed to have met Sarah many years ago, and she has remained a steadfast friend beyond just her professional work.'

Victoria told how she had 'the privilege of sharing some precious time' with Sarah in the months before she died 'exchanging ideas over lunch' and going for walks through Tilley Farm's 'lovely grounds'.

She said: 'That piece of land has a special history, having found its way into Sarah's orbit years ago via remarkable circumstances.

'It exudes a special energy - when you're there, you cannot help but feel Sarah's reassuring presence all around you, including her deep connection to the animals under her care there.'

The probate documents do not outline precisely how much Sarah was bequeathed by Cynthia following her death - merely stating that the gross value of the estate in the United Kingdom did not exceed £200,000 while its net value could have been less than £10,000.

But Sarah and Anthony were in little doubt about its true worth.

They said: 'As sad as Cynthia and Erin's story may be, it has evolved to become one of joy and hope.

'It has changed us, shaped us, and many others too.'