The baby who died in Poldark 's emotional season finale last night is a true survivor in real-life , having beaten the odds to live after she was born prematurely . Little Matilda Fitt - who played baby Julia Poldark in the BBC drama - was born to 34-year-old Hannah Fitt nine weeks early in their home town of Barry , South Wales , weighing just 2lb 12oz . Matilda , now 21 months old , won the part to make her small screen debut only weeks after leaving the hospital , where she was treated for pneumonia . Scroll down for video . Little Matilda Fitt ( left ) - who played baby Julia Poldark in the BBC drama ( right ) - was born nine weeks early in Barry , South Wales , weighing just 2lb 12oz . Matilda was chosen to play to Julie , who in the TV show died from putrid throat , because of her small size . Now Mrs Fitt has revealed how watching the scene brought tears to her eyes . 'It was very emotional seeing it because of what we ’ ve been through , ' she said . 'Matilda was in and out of hospital for check-ups and tests since birth . She had a lot of breathing difficulties and pneumonia . 'But last September she was finally discharged from hospital consultant care and a few weeks later she won the part of Julia . ' Mrs Fitt took Matilda for the filming in Cornwall last year to meet stars Aiden Turner and Eleanor Tomlison . Matilda was chosen to play to Julie , who in the TV show died from putrid throat , because of her small size . Matilda , now 21 months old , lives with her mother Hannah , 34 , ( left ) and dad Matthew , 33 , ( right ) 'The cast were all great with her and Aiden Turner is as lovely as everyone says , ' she said . 'All the cast were - especially Eleanor . She ’ s a very special person , extremely down to earth and just lovely - she was great with Matilda . 'Some scenes were tricky to nail because baby Julia is supposed to be really poorly and we knew Matilda did have to die on camera . 'As you can imagine , getting a 15-month-old to play dead was no easy feat but she coped really well . 'In one scene she is lying on a bed fully made-up and the doctor is mopping her brow . But I was there with sweets to make sure she was happy . ' Matilda was on set for five days and even had her own trailer . 'As you can imagine , getting a 15-month-old to play dead was no easy feat but she coped really well , ' said Mrs Fitt , pictured on set with Matilda . Millions tuned in to watch the series finale yesterday evening , and were shocked by the death of Ross and Demalza ’ s baby daughter . Julia caught putrid throat from her mother , who contracted it after the disease broke out among the people of Trenwith . Matilda , who lives with her mum and dad Matthew Fitt , 33 , was cast as the older of two young children who played Julia . Matilda , pictured , won the part to make her small screen debut only weeks after leaving the hospital , where she was treated for pneumonia . Matilda was in and out of hospital for check-ups and tests for months after her birth , and her mother said watching the Poldark death scene brought tears to her eyes . 'We want everyone to know that in real life Julie - or Matilda - is very well and doing fine , ' her mother said , describing her daughter as ' a little star ' Mrs Fitt , who works for the SAFE Foundation helping disadvantaged people , said : 'It was only a few weeks after she was released from hospital care that my sister-in-law saw the casting call for a baby girl . 'We decided to put her forward . Soon after that she was accepted and we were told only minimal information . All I knew is that it was filming for a BBC production . 'We spent five days filming . Matilda was a bit of a diva occasionally but she always came around with some bribery of toys and books . 'She even had her own trailer and a rider of green grapes . But we want everyone to know that in real life Julie - or Matilda - is very well and doing fine . She is a little star . '
Matilda Fitt , now 21 months old , played baby Julia Poldark in BBC show . The real-life infant was born nine weeks early , and battled pneumonia . Matilda was chosen to play Julia because of her small size . Unlike her character , who died of putrid throat , Matilda is now doing well .