Hannah Waddingham: From School Bullies to Hollywood Star
Overcoming Adversity: Hannah Waddingham’s Journey
HANNAH Waddingham has a list in her head of all the people who slighted her on her grindingly slow rise to the top of the showbusiness world. As she hangs out with Ryan Gosling, gets in helicopters with Tom Cruise, and seems well on her way to becoming a bona fide national treasure, who would deny the Ted Lasso breakout star – who turns 50 in July – the satisfaction of occasionally thinking of all the people she would be happy to say, in her words, “bog off” to?
Facing Childhood Bullies: Hannah’s Struggles
For starters, there are the school bullies who labelled the 5ft 11in beauty a “lanky freak”. There’s also the drama teacher who announced to the whole class: “Oh, Hannah will never work on screen because she looks like one side of her face has had a stroke.” There are the boyfriends who told her she was not good enough, as well as all the casting directors who said she was too tall or too curvy – but now want to cast her.
Unveiling Success: Hannah’s Surprising Journey
Hannah likes to joke that she’s the longest-incubating overnight star in history. She’s been hoofing and sweating away in the West End for decades, but it took a sweet show about an American coach who’s hired to manage a British football team for people to realise her potential. Since Ted Lasso hit our screens, she’s won an Emmy, had her own Christmas show, hosted Eurovision, featured in the Marks & Spencer Christmas ad, is currently starring in hit blockbuster The Fall Guy with Ryan Gosling and will soon be seen with Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible 8.
Embracing Manifestation: Hannah’s Belief in Goals
Hannah is someone who believes in the power of manifesting – putting out into the world what you would like to achieve. But, she admits, even she could never have imagined how much her dreams would be exceeded. “I am a 31-year overnight success – that’s a comedy in itself,” she told the Willie Geist podcast.
Traversing Troubled Relationships: Hannah’s Personal Life
But Rebecca, it seems, was a part she was born to play. In this role as the tough boss with the vulnerable centre, she could see her own history of troubled relationships. Hannah has never revealed who her verbally abusive relationship was with, but says she gets on with ex Gianluca, who she split from when Kitty was two and a half.
Final Thoughts
Hannah has learned her lesson the hard way, but has proved that she can overcome the negativity. And for anyone who doesn’t see her fabulousness – they can bog off, too.