Hannah Waddingham: From Ted Lasso to a Eurovision Song Contest star

The standout stars of this year's Eurovision Song Contest bash not conscionable see the competitors - 1 of the hosts has go a instrumentality favourite arsenic well.

Hannah Waddingham has been a starring woman connected signifier for much than 2 decades and recovered wider fame acknowledgment to TV shows Game of Thrones, Ted Lasso and Sex Education.

She tin present adhd "Eurovision icon" to her CV.

The English histrion is co-hosting the contest's semi-finals with British presenter Alesha Dixon and Ukrainian vocalist Julia Salina.

While they person each been fantabulous truthful far, Waddingham successful peculiar has earned rave reviews, and her appearances person capped her elevation to A-list status.

Viewers person responded to her unbridled vigor and overflowing consciousness of fun, positive the effortless composure and assured signifier beingness that travel from years successful the West End and connected Broadway.

Her enthusiastic facial expressions, exuberant style, impromptu creation moves and awesome connection skills besides person the assemblage eating retired of the thenar of her hand.

"The co-presenter looked similar she was having the clip of her beingness playing aerial guitar and trading quips with a rubber turkey," the Telegraph's Ed Power wrote successful his reappraisal of the archetypal semi-final.

After a decennary of notching up deed TV shows, and aft a likewise joyful hosting occupation at the Olivier Awards past month, Waddingham is present 1 of the UK's astir in-demand stars.

Asked earlier the opus contention astir the imaginable of announcing the Eurovision results successful Liverpool, she told the BBC's Eurovisioncast podcast: "That virtually gives maine shivers of excitement. My 12-year-old aforesaid couldn't judge that I would ever beryllium saying [it].

"Honestly it makes maine rather affectional to beryllium calling antithetic countries and spot the delegations there. It's conscionable crazy."

Waddingham is from London and spent her puerility successful theatres watching her mother, a vocalist with the English National Opera.

By her 20s, she was successful starring roles successful the West End herself. Waddingham present has 3 Olivier nominations to her sanction - for Monty Python amusement Spamalot, Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music and Cole Porter's Kiss Me, Kate.

After mostly spot parts connected TV, her surface breakthrough came erstwhile she was formed arsenic Septa Unella, amended known arsenic the Shame Nun successful Game of Thrones, joining successful play five.

It was "horrifically difficult" to beryllium taken earnestly capable to marque the leap from signifier to surface - and she had to spell to the US to execute it, she has said.

"I had to leap implicit to the different broadside of the pond successful bid to get recognised. And I don't deliberation that's right, personally."

But with a babe connected the way, she nary longer wanted to beryllium connected signifier six nights a week. She started filming Game of Thrones conscionable 8 weeks aft giving birth.

That led to shows similar Superman prequel Krypton. But portion filming that, her daughter, 3 astatine the time, became earnestly sick with Henoch-Schönlein purpura (HSP), which affects the humor vessels. It was "all a spot interaction and go", Waddingham said.

After being incapable to instantly get location to beryllium with her, truthful told her agents she nary longer wanted acting jobs that would necessitate her to travel.

"I americium archetypal and foremost a mum, and much importantly, a azygous mum," she said. While her girl was recovering a period later, she stood successful her plot 1 nighttime and "thanked the Universe" for making her better.

While she was astatine it, she asked the Universe for different occupation that would let her to beryllium adjacent her girl and support them afloat financially.

"And also, tin I beryllium truthful cheeky arsenic to say, could it beryllium thing that shows everything that I tin do, and things that I don't consciousness similar I've been capable to bash yet? And is determination immoderate mode it could conscionable beryllium astir the corner?" she asked.

"And I'm not joking, wrong 2 months the audition came successful for Ted Lasso, that shoots 40 minutes distant from my house."

The Universe came through. Waddingham won the relation successful the Apple TV+ drama arsenic Richmond FC proprietor Rebecca Welton, who hires hapless US manager Ted due to the fact that she wants the squad to neglect to spite her erstwhile husband.

It became a hit, and Waddingham won an Emmy, a Critics' Choice Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award.

Global fame has travel comparatively late. "You don't deliberation your vocation is going to rev up during your 40s," she told the Plot Twist podcast past year. "Being a mother, you deliberation it's going to dilatory down a bit."

There's not overmuch accidental of that. She precocious appeared successful Hocus Pocus 2 and ITV's Tom Jones, and volition beryllium successful forthcoming films The Fall Guy, Garfield and Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part Two.

If she hadn't made it arsenic an actress, she would person liked to enactment arsenic an interpreter, she has said. "I emotion languages."

She speaks Italian and French - arsenic she demonstrated during the archetypal Eurovision semi-final.

"You see, Europe, immoderate of america Brits bash fuss to larn different language," she told the assemblage to immense cheers, earlier blowing them a kiss.

That's conscionable 1 crushed wherefore the Eurovision fans ended up chanting her sanction that night.

All the build-up, insights and investigation is explored connected the BBC's Eurovisioncast.