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.
The 49-year-old gave an interview recently in which she explained that the job she'd had before she hit the big time – which a lot of people don't know about – has shaped her style today.
"One thing I will say, before I was an actress and a singer, I was a plus size model," she said in an interview shared on TikTok by a Ted Lasso fan account.
"It wasn't at a time when it was embraced.
"So I'm always down for any designer that actually has booties, tummies and boobies very much taken care of."
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As a 5ft 11 woman, Hannah has also struggled to be accepted in the showbusiness industry because of her height.
But Ted Lasso co-creator and writer Jason Sudeikis wasn't at all worried about her stature, making that clear in her first audition.
And Hannah worked closely with the Ted Lasso costume designer Jacky Levy on Rebecca's looks – she became known for her power suits, figure-hugging pencil skirts and Christian Louboutins during the three-season show.
"Myself and Jacky Levy collaborate 100 per cent together and have done that really since Day One," she told Women's Wear Daily.
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"We go out shopping together and I’m very, very, very specific about Rebecca’s style and her palette of colour.
"And Jacky is the same. We just have a complete meeting of minds.
"So she and I will also spot things throughout the year and go, ‘What about this?’
"It’s like a shorthand we have. And when we go shopping, we barely even talk!"
Hannah began her entertainment career as a West End star, making her debut in 2000.
She made her television debut in sitcom Not Going Out in 2011, and went on to appear in shows such as Game of Thrones and Sex Education.
She was cast as Rebecca, the owner of AFC Richmond, in Ted Lasso in 2020, and remained in the show until it ended earlier this year.
It was recently announced that she'd be starring in the next, eighth Mission: Impossible movie.
But Hannah also has ideas for a career outside of entertainment – namely in fashion.
After attending designer Christian Siriano's New York Fashion Week show back in 2022, she said she hadn't realised there would be so many "juicy women" on the catwalk.
"It was just glorious to see," she added to WWD.
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"I’ve always — because I was a plus-size model myself back in the day — I always said if I was older, I would have an agency called Juicy Birds, because that’s what they are.
"They looked absolutely breathtaking in these clothes."
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