Who is Eurovision host Hannah Waddingham?

Hannah Waddingham’s rise to fame on both sides of the Pond might have been a slow burner – but since the British actress found fame in comedy series Ted Lasso, her career has soared. 

Two Supporting Actress Emmy wins, a trip to the White House and hosting Eurovision have all come the way of the Wandsworth-born star in recent years. 

The Eurovision and Ted Lasso star was approaching her mid-forties when she took the call saying she’d landed the role of football-club owner Rebecca Welton in the Apple TV+ comedy Ted Lasso – and she hasn’t looked back since. 

Last night Waddingham dazzled onstage at the M&S Bank Arena to co-host the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 which is being held in Liverpool this year on behalf of Ukraine who won last year’s competition, but cannot host due to the Russian invasion.

With her blonde locks styled in 1940s-inspired waves, Waddingham stole the show alongside her glamorous co-hosts Alesha Dixon and Ukraininan singer Julia Sanina. 

She was dressed in a show-stopping technicolour gown with a plunging neckline and a cape, and impressed viewers as she read out the rules of the competition in perfect French – joking that some Britons actually speak languages other than English.

EARLY LIFE: WHERE DID SHE GROW UP?

Born and raised in South-West London, Hannah attended private girls’ school Streatham and Clapham High School before going on to study at the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts.

Following her graduation, Hannah – who is the daughter of opera singer Melodie Kelly – concentrated on making it as a theatre actress.

One of her first jobs was in the interactive dinner show Joni and Gina’s Wedding – where audience members take on the role of wedding guests and are invited to engage with actors.

Speaking to uInterview in 2022, Hannah credited the improvisation show for allowing her to grow as an actress.

She said: ‘It really let me cut my teeth because you have to be quick-witted and on it and go with whatever someone else has said and keep it positive.

‘And that’s probably what got me into the worlds of comedy and drama… being able to mix and ebb and flow through each other.’

WHO IS HER DAUGHTER AND EX-PARTNER?

Hannah was in a relationship with hotelier Gianluca Cugnetto and the couple had a daughter together. It is not clear when Hannah parted ways with the father of her child.

She has spoken in the past about fertility issues and announced she was pregnant in 2015, saying: ‘I don’t mind saying it, I know plenty of women go through it, but they kept telling me that my fertility was so low and that it might not happen,’ she said at the time.

On motherhood, she said: ‘It’s incredible how it hits you suddenly. It’s taken my breath away; I’m so pleased.’

The couple co-parent eight-year-old Kitty together, with Hannah juggling roles to ensure she’s close to home. 

The star said the huge appeal of the Ted Lasso role was that it was filmed close to wear she lives  in South London – making life as a single parent much easier. 

Ex: It is not clear when Hannah parted ways with the father of her child. She is pictured with her former partner, hotelier Gianluca Cugnetto

Health: The Ted Lasso star, 48, was left terrified five years ago when her daughter Kitty, who was three years old at the time, suddenly fell ill with HSP and had to be hospitalised 

When her daughter was three, she fell seriously ill with a rare autoimmune disease – known as Henoch-Schönlein purpura (HSP) – and Hannah had to dash home quickly from where she was filming in Belfast. 

HSP is a condition that involves swelling of small blood vessels, often affecting children between ages two and six. In most cases, children will make a full recovery, but can be left with kidney problems. 

After finally getting to see Kitty the following day, Hannah said she informed her management in both the UK and LA that she could no longer be away from her child.

‘I am first and foremost a mum, and more importantly a single mum,’ she told her agents over a conference call.

WHAT DID SHE STAR IN BEFORE TED LASSO?   

Hannah played a diverse array of smaller roles across stage and screen for more than two decades.   

In 2000, Hannah released the single Our Kind of Love – which was written by Andrew Lloyd Webber for his musical The Beautiful Game – to commemorate the composer’s 50th birthday.

Hannah pictured with her on-screen family after being cast as Tonya Dyke in ITV’s hit series Benidorm

After this, Hannah appeared in a 2002 production of Space Family Robinson before going on to star as Lady of the Lake in Spamalot, which earned her an Olivier Award nod. 

The show – which was both a West End and Broadway hit – went on to be nominated for seven Laurence Olivier awards in 2012. 

Alongside her growing stage presence, Hannah also started auditioning for more and more TV and film roles -having made her big screen debut in 2008’s How To Lose Friends and Alienate People. In 2014, Hannah was cast as Tonya Dyke in the hit ITV series Benidorm.

A Games of Thrones appearance also won her a new fanbase, as she took on the role of Septa Unella in Game of Thrones. And she also regularly appeared in Netflix’s Sex Education as Jackson Marchetti’s mother.

HOW DID SHE SHOOT TO A NEW LEVEL OF FAME? 

When her daughter Kitty fell ill, Hannah was initially reluctant to audition for any roles that would command too much of her time. 

However, her team persuaded her team to try out for the role of Ted Lasso and she quickly fell in love with the role of Rebecca Welton. 

She told The Ellen DeGeneres Show that being cast in the Apple TV+ comedy felt like fate, saying she had silently ‘asked the universe’ for roles close to home. 

She said: ‘I’m going to ask the universe for something, which is probably unreasonable but, I’m going to say, “Thank you for making my little girl better,” she told Ellen.

‘Can I thank you for what you’ve given me already, but can I just ask you for something that is close to home so I can do my main role, which is to be mama.

‘And also can I ask that it’s something that really shows what I can do [as an actress]. And I hope that’s not asking too much.’

The role would transform her career, catapulting her to fame in the US. When she won an Emmy, she told the show’s writer and main star Jason Sudeikis: ‘Jason you’ve changed my life with this… and more importantly my baby girl’s.’

WHO DOES SHE PLAY IN TED LASSO?  

Hannah Waddingham plays Richmond FC owner Rebecca Welton in Apple TV+ comedy Ted Lasso

Hannah plays the role of ice cool Richmond FC owner Rebecca Welton. 

Welton takes control of the club, based at fictional Nelson Road Stadium, as an act of revenge against her cheating ex-husband Rupert – and her raison d’etre becomes trying to run the club into the ground.

However the arrival of US coach, Ted Lasso (Jason Sudeikis), alters her plan and success becomes her number on ambition, as the pair quickly become a team – not romantically – that transforms the club. 

Following the astonishing success of the show, where she is thought to have earned upwards of $150,000 per episode, she has urged Hollywood to make use of West End stars, tellin the Emmy audience after her win: ‘One more thing… West End musical theatre performers need to be on screen more. Please give them a chance, because we won’t let you down.’

LIFE AFTER TED: WHAT SUCCESS HAS THE ACTRESS HAD SINCE THE SHOW? 

Following two Emmy wins for best supporting actress for her role as Rebecca Welton, the movie roles came thick and fast for Hannah. 

Hannah Waddingham pictured as The Witch in Hocus Pocus 2, which was released in September 2022

She played Lady Bellaston in the Tom Jones mini-series and was seen in the sequel to Hollywood blockbuster Hocus Pocus 2, playing The Witch.

Off-screen, Eurovision has won the star new fans – and she even enjoyed a visit to The White House, discussing mental health with her co-stars from Ted Lasso including Sudeikis, Brett Goldstein, Brendan Hunt and Toheeb Jimoh. 

She revealed afterwards that she’d spoken to President Biden about the importance of talking about mental health.