Hannah Waddingham, 52, Refuses To Shrink Her Height for Industry Critics: ‘I’m Just Not Having It’
The 'Ted Lasso' star opens up about being tall, Hollywood pushback and her simple 20-minute workout
Key Takeaways
- Hannah Waddingham, 52, refuses to shrink her 5'11" frame to soothe anyone's ego.
- She hid her height early in her career because directors were afraid to cast her.
- Her enviable, toned physique comes from a simple 20-minute daily bodyweight routine.
Hannah Waddingham is a certified scene-stealer, and ever since her debut as the fierce and fiery Rebecca Welton on Apple TV’s Ted Lasso opposite Jason Sudeikis, fans have loved her confidence and spirit. Standing at 5 feet 11 inches, the blonde beauty is leading lady material, but folks in the industry didn’t always appreciate her stature. The actress has shared many stories over the years of her time in the spotlight and the negative comments she received aimed at her height, but since the early days of her career, Waddingham has found her confidence.
How Hannah Waddingham’s height almost kept her from landing roles
In a conversation with Women’s Health UK, the actress opened up about the instances in which males in the entertainment industry asked her not to wear heels. When discussing where that conviction came from to tell them she wouldn’t be shrinking herself down, Hannah shared, “I’ve always had the confidence to say that. I think I’ve always had that thing—maybe it was instilled by my parents—nothing is worth capitulating to somebody else’s inferiority complex.” She continued, “I’m just not having it. I’m not having it and I wouldn’t expect any friend of mine, male or female, to be told by somebody else that you need to diminish your light in any way for them.”
In a conversation with NPR’s Morning Edition, she further detailed the experiences she had in which her height was a topic of conversation. “The only thing that I found for the first 10, 12 years of my career, my height was—I think they were frightened of casting me.” She continued, “The things that I love about Apple and Sudeikis is that they never shied away from my height. Not for a split second.”
Waddingham went on to share that she had a CV that she would distribute that listed her height at 5’10”, hoping that eliminating an inch would help her out. She also recalled her younger years slouching and sitting into her hips to appear smaller—something she did until her mid-20s. “That’s when I would say, oh dear, I can’t be the same size head as everyone else. I’ll have to stand apart then.”
Hannah Waddingham’s simple 20-minute daily fitness routine
We’re always in awe of how Hannah Waddingham steps into her power, and fans have long wanted to know how she maintains her amazing fitness and energy. Beyond the buzz around Hannah Waddingham’s height, her sculpted arms and envy-inducing definition have left everyone wanting the inside scoop on her workout routine—and her simple, daily approach is as refreshing as it gets.
“I’d be lying if I said I did a lot. Just calisthenics [with] my own body weight and some light weights for 20 minutes in the morning,” she revealed to Women’s Health UK. “But I’ve always said to my friends: activate your muscles—every day. People are very lovely; they talk about my arms. I just keep activated.”
Hannah is proud of every inch of her body and has never pretended to be someone she’s not, telling Glamour, “I am, and will always be, very proud not to be a skinny Minnie. It’s just not how I’m built. And I’m a mother, so I’m not a big gym bunny. Women need to celebrate women as much as possible, which is why I always say, yep, I’m more than happy to say I wear Spanx on a red carpet.”
Hannah’s journey is a powerful reminder that we deserve to take up space—and nobody has the power to tell you to shrink yourself down.
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