Alan Rickman stole Harry Potter props and sold one for more than £17,000, says co-star

Alan Rickman stole props from the Harry Potter set and sold one for more than £17,000, a former co-star has revealed.

Zoë Wanamaker, who appeared in the first film as broom flying instructor Madam Hooch, said that she and her fellow actor took the letters that the owl brings to Harry.

The 72-year-old revealed that Rickman, who famously played Professor Severus Snape and died in 2016 aged 69, later sold one of these letters for $25,000 (£17,700) in Los Angeles.

Speaking on the podcast Tea with Twiggy, Wanamaker said: "There were lots of these little letters that the owl brings to Harry.

"Rickman and I started to nick some of them .

"I know Rickman sold one in LA for something like $25,000 just for one letter – it was brilliant."

The actor spoke about the levels of detail on the props on the first set and recalled song sheets on parchment lined with gold.

Wanamaker, who is also known for her theatre work, added she does not have many of the letters left.

But said that she still has some T-shirts and a stunt man hat because she did her own stunts.

The actor described her time on the Harry Potter movies as “hysterical” as she knew most of the cast.

She recalled a time when she was with Maggie Smith, Rickman and the late Richard Harris, who played Dumbledore in the first movies.

The actors were waiting to start filming and were sitting in full makeup. She said: "At about four or five o'clock there was a knock at the door and they tell us it is a wrap.

"Richard Harris was in a makeup chair reclining with his long beard tied up in bows all the way down and his wig also tied up in bows at the back so the hairs wouldn't go up his nose when he was sleeping.

"And he opened his eyes and he leapt up forward saying ‘what' and I started to laugh.

"He said 'what the f*** are you laughing at' and I said 'look we have had a lovely day we have had lots of gossip we have gone through the crosswords we have done the magazines and we are getting paid what are you worried about'."

Watch: Alan Rickman's diaries to be published