Hannah Waddingham has revealed the truth behind her decision to rebuke a photographer at a red carpet event, explaining that she had known the man for 20 years.
In 2024, the Ted Lasso and Ride or Die star was set to host the Olivier Awards and, upon arriving at the event, posed for photographs outside the Royal Albert Hall
But she was left visibly frustrated when a member of the press asked her to “show me leg”, telling him: “Oh my God, you’d never say that to a man, my friend. Don’t be a d***, otherwise I’ll move off. Don’t say ‘show me leg.’ No.”
Waddingham, 51, has now said that, while the photographer was not “a friend”, she has “known him for 20 years” and has “immense respect for him”.
She told The Guardian that they’re “fine now”, adding: “He took it on the chin, I called him out, he emailed me, I emailed him back. I was like, ‘Dude, that’s not cool,’ and fair play to him, he was apologetic, and I said, ‘You can’t do that.’
“I think he forgot himself. There was an overfamiliarity.”
Reflecting on the moment, which went viral, Waddingham said she was wary that her hosting duties would be overshadowed by someone drawing attention to her body.
”I just thought, don’t do that, because this is a bespoke Marchesa gown. It stopped on the mid-thigh, and it had a beautiful, diaphanous over-layer. I was going off to host an entire evening live, and my sadness at the time was that it had been reduced to that, instead of my live performance directly after that, which is one of the greatest achievements of my life.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Waddingham opened up about the “mummy guilt” she experiences “all the time” over working away from her daughter, Kitty, 11.
She also said she has not done theatre since the early 2010s due to the demanding hours, stating: “I don’t think my daughter is ready.”
Waddingham, a musical theatre star, made her big screen break with a small, but memorable role as Septa Unella in Game of Thrones, following which she was cast as AFC Richmond owner Rebecca Welton in Ted Lasso, which is returning for a fourth season next month.
The actor has also had film roles in blockbuster sequel Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, action comedy The Fall Guy, and can currently be seen in comedy series Ride or Die alongside Octavia Spencer.