They say you can tell a lot about a person from their dog – and no less so than with celebrities.
Photographer Lucy Sewill snapped a variety of famous faces with their pets and said they were – for once – happy to step out of the limelight.
Her book, Dogs and Their Humans, features a number of celebrities including Pearl Lowe, Little Britain star Matt Lucas and BBC Breakfast presenter Louise Minchin.
Photographer Lucy Sewill said Hermione Norris and her Great Dane Ophelia were together on the sofa for the shoot. Lucy said: ‘They simply breathed each other in. We are told that the company of a dog has benefits for our mental and physical health’
Hermione Norris and her Great Dane, Ophelia, pose on the sofa for a slobbery kiss. Photographer Lucy Sewill discovered the personal and loving relationships celebrities have with their four legged friends in more than 50 fascinating photographs for her new book, Humans and Their Dogs
Gary Numan, above, with his dog. He used to live with family in East Sussex, before moving to Los Angeles in 2012
Pearl Lowe poses on the bed with her dog. The designer is known for her love of vintage fashion, and it is clearly on display in this photoshoot
Lucy Sewill discovered the personal and loving relationships celebrities had with their four legged friends in more than 50 fascinating photographs.
Designer Gok Wan owns a French Bulldog called Dolly Dishcloth. The designer and fashion consultant resides in London, and says he has a personal connection with Dolly.
He said: ‘The thing about animals is that they are literally our best friends, it is conditional because they want to be fed, they want to be stroked and given their treats, but actually, they give so much more love than words could ever describe.
Gok Wan with his French bulldog, Dolly Dishcloth. Wan said dogs ‘give so much more love than words could ever describe’ as he poses with his four legged friend
Gok Wan looks on to Dolly in their photoshoot. The furry fashion hound even checked out photographer Lucy’s outfit before allowing her over the threshold
Journalist and television presenter Mariella Frostrup strokes her dog on the table outside. Photographer Lucy Sewill snapped a variety of famous faces with their pets
‘I love the picture of Dolly and I – it shows our connection together, but it also shows Dolly’s aloofness. How Lucy has managed to capture the relationship with the dogs and their owners is quite unique’.
As you might expect from the pet of style guru, Dolly checked out Lucy’s outfit before allowing her over the threshold.
Lucy said: ‘I felt her assessing me as soon as I arrived. She looked me up and down – thankfully I think I passed.’
Gary Numan and his dogs live in Los Angeles. The singer once topped the charts in the 1980s with Telekon and We Are Glass
Numan sits on his sofa with his dog laying on his lap. Photographer Lucy said Gary Numan’s dog was the most timid dog in her book, Humans and Their Dogs
She travelled to Los Angeles to shoot singer Gary Numan and one of his beloved dogs, Flake, who was rescued from a cage at a Chinese meat festival.
She said: ‘Gary and his wife Gemma heard about Flake’s story and brought her to America to live with them’.
‘She was the most timid dog in the book but I was touched to see the strengthening relationship she has with Gary, at one stage very gently putting her paw on his arm as a sign of her affection.’
No celebrity was more willing to get down to their dog’s level than Little Britain star Matt Lucas, pictured with his two dogs, Hob and Milo, above
Lucas, who is also known for shows including Come Fly with Me, is also starring in a new Finnish show next year, Moominvalley. He gives his dog a kiss
Matt Lucas sits with his dogs out on the street. Photographer Lucy Sewill explained to Matt she wanted to avoid the usual predictable shots of someone standing with a dog at their feet for her book
Numan described the loving relationship he has with Flake.
He said: ‘A dog is not just a part of the family, a dog is a friend, a guardian, a playmate, a shoulder to cry on, a caring listener and the best welcome home you’ll ever have’.
BBC Brekafast presenter Louise Minchin with her dogs Ruby and Waffle. Minchin lives in Chester with her husband and daughters
Minchin hosts BBC Breakfast for three days a week, along with her co-host Dan Walker, who is also photographed for the new book, Humans and Their Dogs
No celebrity was more willing to get down to their dog’s level than Little Britain star Matt Lucas.
‘We’d cleared the furniture to one side,’ said Lucy. ‘I explained to Matt that I wanted to avoid the usual predictable shots of someone standing with a dog at their feet – too submissive, I said.
‘I wanted to see some interaction. So Matt just got down on all fours on the floor between Hob and Milo, being as much a dog as the pair of them’.
BBC Breakfast presenter Dan Walker sits on his sofa with his dog Winnie at his home in Sheffield, South Yorkshire. Walker said the wanted to call her ‘Steve’, but he lost the family vote
Walker rests on a hammock and Winnie joins him. He replaced Bill Turnbull as a BBC Breakfast presenter in 2016
‘The celebrities allowed their dogs to steal the show,’ said Lucy, whose photographs hang in the National Portrait Gallery.
‘Shoots were often delayed, not because the person couldn’t make it, but because the dog couldn’t get a grooming appointment.’
Gary Kemp, who wrote the hits by Spandau Ballet, poses with his dog Piper, right. He said his dog is the ’embodiment of family love’
Cartoonist Oliver Preston poses with his dog outside his home, who jumps up affectionately to greet him in his back gardens. Preston draws cartoons for a range of magazines, including Country Life
Businessman Gus Christie poses in his smart looking study with his trusty four legged friend by his side. The businessman is the chairman of Glyndebourne, an opera company
Telegraph cartoonist Matt Pritchett, also known as ‘Matt’ through his political cartoon sketches, poses with his dog Reg, who the Pritchetts have had for eight years
Countryfile presenter Adam Henson poses with his dogs. Olive, Boo and Peg work in and around Adam Henson’s farm
For BBC newsreader Assad Ahmad, his dog Daisy was there for him when things went wrong. He said: ‘A motorcycle accident left me with a serious head and brain injury. Daisy has been central to my healing process, supporting me with limitless patience and love’
Scottish actress Annette Crosbie, who has dedicated her life to ending the racing of greyhounds for the gambling industry, poses with her dog Wily. She told photographer Lucy Sewill that because of her age, he will be her very last dog
Singer Nerina Pallot poses with her adorable dog on a steep staircase. The songwriter, who is married to record producer Andy Chatterley, has released more than five albums
Businesswoman Sarah Doukas, founder of London model agency Storm Model Management, is pictured with her two dogs
Actress Luisa Bradshaw-White is pictured cuddling her dog for Lucy Sewill’s photoshoot. Unfortunately, her furry friend had his tongue out for this adorable shot
Photographer Lucy dismisses the notion that people look like their pets, although they often reflect one another’s personalities.
‘Hermione Norris and her beautiful Great Dane, Ophelia, emanate an empowering sense of calm,’ she recalled.
‘They laid together on the sofa and simply breathed each other in. We are told that the company of a dog has benefits for our mental and physical health.
‘My time with Hermione and Ophelia demonstrated that dogs really are very good for us.’
Lucy Sewill’s book, Dogs and Their Humans, can be bought from the John Catt Bookshop here.
Rev Richard Coles is pictured with one of his four dogs, Daisy, Pongo, Audrey and H. He told Lucy: ‘One of the best things about being human is that it can make you the object of the unfailing curiosity and affection of a dog’
Businessman and entrepreneur Francis Boulle is pictured with his dog Buddy. Boulle also starred in Made in Chelsea, and now works in the mining industry. Buddy turns his head back playfully and even sticks his tongue out as they pose for this field shot