Intriguing Facts About Tom Jones Star Hannah Waddingham (2024)

Intriguing Facts About Tom Jones Star Hannah Waddingham (1)

Intriguing Facts About Tom Jones Star Hannah Waddingham (2)

Intriguing Facts About Tom Jones Star Hannah Waddingham (3)

Hannah Waddingham is well known to audiences, especially for roles in Ted Lasso and Game of Thrones, and soon as Lady Bellaston in Tom Jones. Now, find out more about the colorful and fascinating life of the actress, including details on her first passion in life, her thoughts on fame at her age, and more.

  1. 1.

    Waddingham is Happy She Became Famous Later in Life

    Intriguing Facts About Tom Jones Star Hannah Waddingham (4)

    From her recent iconic roles as Rebecca Welton in Ted Lasso and Septa Unella in Game of Thrones, audiences now can’t get enough of Hannah Waddingham. The actor, who has had an active career since the early 2000s, is enjoying her greatest professional success now. Waddingham, for one, finds it assuring that she didn’t achieve this level of celebrity earlier in her career.

    “I think in terms of suddenly your career going into warp speed, I can see why younger people lose their [minds],” Waddingham told The Times of London. “Whereas me, yes, it’s amazing, but I’ve still got to spin the plates of life with my daughter. By 47, you kind of are who you are. I don’t need any new friends. I’ve got my clan.”

  2. 2.

    Waddingham Comes from a Family of Singers

    Intriguing Facts About Tom Jones Star Hannah Waddingham (5)

    While Waddingham is now most recognized as an actress, she hails from a family of accomplished singers. Her mother, Melodie Kelly, was a member of the English National Opera for 27 years, and Waddingham’s maternal grandparents were both talented opera singers.

    Growing up and learning some people’s parents worked in offices, Waddingham had a priceless reaction. ‘What do you mean? Doesn’t everyone sing and dance for a living?’” she told The Zoe Report in 2022.

    While never having formal music lessons, Waddingham, who has a four-octave vocal range, studied at the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts in London. Despite being steeped in the world of opera from a young age, Waddingham didn’t imagine herself in that milieu. “I bucked against opera in particular even though I knew it was my actual sound,” she told Rose & Ivy Journal in 2021.

    Fun Fact: Waddingham performed with singer Michael Bublé in a 2021 holiday special. Watch Waddingham sing “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home).

  3. 3.

    Waddingham Shines on Stage, Too

    Intriguing Facts About Tom Jones Star Hannah Waddingham (6)

    Despite any early hesitation about following in her family’s footsteps, Waddingham knew she was born for musical theater, and it had nothing to do with wanting to be a big star. “Musical theater people don’t get into it for money or fame. It’s in your blood; it’s in your bones; it’s a vocation,” she told The Zoe Report.

    The multi-talented actress has been nominated for the prestigious Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical three times (for Monty Python’s Spamalot, A Little Night Music, and Kiss Me Kate). The Olivier Awards, presented by the Society of London Theaters, recognize excellence in professional theater in London.

    Fun Fact: In 2000, Waddingham released a single titled “Our Kind of Love,” her rendition of a song from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s soccer-themed stage musical The Beautiful.

  4. 4.

    Waddingham is a Working Mom

    Intriguing Facts About Tom Jones Star Hannah Waddingham (7)

    While she still loves working in theater productions, Waddingham plans to focus on her TV career for the foreseeable future because of her number one role: “My primary function is being a single mama,” she told People.

    She welcomed a daughter in 2016, and has been open about the way in which her perspective on her life and career shifted, especially in light of the illness that affected her young daughter (who was 3 at the time). Waddingham’s daughter suffers from Henoch-Schönlein purpura or HSP, an autoimmune disorder most common in children under the age of 10. Luckily, Waddingham’s daughter is “much better now,” she said, “so that’s the greatest.”

    “I’m hugely blessed not only to have a child, but to have been able to choose to move to television and to be accepted into that world where I can be Mummy as much as I can and be away from her as little as possible,” Waddingham told Town & Country.

  5. 5.

    Waddingham Has Wowed Audiences and Critics Alike

    Intriguing Facts About Tom Jones Star Hannah Waddingham (8)

    Waddingham has received recognition for her role in Ted Lasso, including a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2021,Critics’ Choice Awards in both 2021 and 2022, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and a Hollywood Critics Association Award.

    During her Emmy acceptance speech, she was overwhelmed with emotion, and started by saying, “Jason [Sudeikis], you’ve changed my life with this, and more importantly, my baby girl’s. And I will work for you as long as you’ll let me.” Waddingham quickly added, “Oh my God, I’m giving a speech at the Emmys!” marking a joyful, monumental moment in her career.

    Watch Waddingham’s moving Emmy acceptance speech here.

More in Tom Jones

  • Feature: Get Ready for Tom Jones
  • Video: An Inside Look at Tom Jones
  • Video: Tom Jones Official Preview

Intriguing Facts About Tom Jones Star Hannah Waddingham (9)

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Intriguing Facts About Tom Jones Star Hannah Waddingham (2024)

FAQs

Intriguing Facts About Tom Jones Star Hannah Waddingham? ›

Waddingham portrayed the "Shame Nun", Septa Unella, in season 5 and 6 of Game of Thrones. She began filming her scenes nine weeks after the birth of her daughter and claims that she underwent actual waterboarding during filming so that the scene would look authentic.

What role did Hannah Waddingham have in Game of Thrones? ›

Waddingham portrayed the "Shame Nun", Septa Unella, in season 5 and 6 of Game of Thrones. She began filming her scenes nine weeks after the birth of her daughter and claims that she underwent actual waterboarding during filming so that the scene would look authentic.

Who is Hannah Waddingham married to? ›

Is Hannah Waddingham Married? No, The Fall Guy and Ted Lasso star Hannah Waddingham is not married. Though she was linked for a decade to Italian businessman Italian Gianluca Cugnetto, Waddingham and Cugnetto never tied the knot and today, she remains single.

Who is Hannah Waddingham's net worth? ›

Hannah Waddingham is a British actress and singer who has a net worth of $4 million. Waddingham is best known for playing Rebecca Welton on the critically-acclaimed Apple TV+ series "Ted Lasso" (2020–present), a role that earned her a Primetime Emmy in 2021.

Was Hannah Waddingham a model? ›

SHE'S a household name these days, thanks to her iconic role as Rebecca Welton in Ted Lasso. But before Hannah Waddingham became everyone's favourite statuesque blonde, she found fame as a plus size model.

What is Hannah Waddingham famous for? ›

Hannah Waddingham (born 28 July 1974) is an English actress. She is best known for her roles in Ted Lasso, Game of Thrones, Les Misérables 2012 and in several musicals including Spamalot, Into the Woods and The Wizard of Oz.

Who is Hannah Waddingham's baby daddy? ›

While she keeps Kitty away from the spotlight, we do know a few things about her, like the fact that Waddingham shares her daughter with businessman Gianluca Cugnetto, whom she was in a relationship with for more than a decade before the pair ultimately split.

Can Hannah Waddingham really sing? ›

“It was not a subject for debate.” And while Waddingham's singing skills are beyond impressive, she also revealed that her co-stars are even bigger “musical theater nerds” than herself. “I will say that [Sudeikis], Brendan Hunt, Brett Goldstein, they are all big musical theater nerds, far more than I am,” she said.

How old was Hannah Waddingham when she had a baby? ›

Waddingham decided to turn to Eastern medicine, receiving acupuncture and Reiki as part of a holistic approach. Soon after, she said, she was pregnant and brought her daughter home on her 40th birthday.

Is Hannah Waddingham a single mum? ›

On my 40th birthday, I came out of hospital with her after a few days of complications. And I've been a single mother since she was 2.

Who is the shame lady in Game of Thrones? ›

Hannah Waddingham had one of the most memorable moments in Game Of Thrones when she played the 'shame nun' of Septa Unella, with a catchphrase many remember. Who would have thought that the role of the terrifying character would have led to Hannah being cast in the much-loved Ted Lasso.

Who is the blonde in Ted Lasso? ›

Hannah Waddingham is an English actress who is best known for her role in "Ted Lasso" as Rebecca Welton.

Who is the CEO of Hannah's House? ›

Jonine Collins - Hannah's House | LinkedIn.

What movies has Hannah Waddingham been in? ›

In 2008, she made her film debut as Elizabeth Maddox in How to Lose Friends & Alienate People (2008). Her other film credits include Into the Woods (2011), Les Misérables (2012), Winter Ridge (2018) and The Hustle (2019).

Why was Hannah Waddingham in Willow? ›

The story behind Hannah Waddingham's casting as Hubert in Willow is as enchanting as the series itself. The connection was made possible through a serendipitous link between the series' casting director, Lauren Evans, who had previously worked with Waddingham on Sex Education, and the creative team behind Willow.

How do I contact Hannah Waddingham? ›

How to contact Hannah Waddingham? To contact Hannah Waddingham send an email to hannah.waddingham@gmail.com.

What is Cersei Lannister role in Game of Thrones? ›

Queen of the Seven Kingdoms and wife of King Robert. Fiercely protective of her three children, she also has an unusually tight connection to her twin brother, Jaime.

What happened to the nun in Game of Thrones? ›

Cersei tortures Unella following the destruction of the Great Sept. After the Destruction of the Great Sept of Baelor, Cersei has Unella imprisoned within the Red Keep's dungeons and restrained on a rack.

What episode was Hannah Waddingham in Game of Thrones? ›

"Game of Thrones" The Broken Man (TV Episode 2016) - Hannah Waddingham as Septa Unella - IMDb.

Who is the female leader of the Dothraki people in Game of Thrones? ›

Khaleesi Daenerys Targaryen leading her khalasar. Khaleesi is a Dothraki title referring to the wife of the khal.

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