Hannah Waddingham stepped out with boyfriend Nick Beresford-Cleary for their first official public appearance together at the Variety Power Of Women event in London on Wednesday.
The Ted Lasso actress, 51, turned heads in a striking halterneck gown featuring a plunging neckline and dramatic thigh-high split, going braless to showcase her hourglass silhouette.
The couple appeared completely besotted as they posed together for photographers at the prestigious event.
While the actress has not publicly identified her new partner by name, speculation about their romance began in March when the pair were spotted together at Cheltenham Festival.
The couple looked loved up on the carpet
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The spine surgeon and the Emmy-winning star looked thoroughly at ease in each other’s company during their red carpet moment.
Speaking to Women’s Health UK last month, Ms Waddingham opened up about her love life for the first time, describing her new man as “very good looking” and “really lovely.”
The actress acknowledged that finding love again had been a lengthy process following her split from Gianluca Cugnetto, with whom she shares 11-year-old daughter Kitty.
“It’s taken me eight years,” she told the magazine. “I didn’t really have the space mentally or emotionally for that.”
Ms Waddingham attended the Variety Power of Women event in London on Wednesday
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She explained that her priority had been creating stability for herself and her child: “I’ve hunkered down and focused on my girl and me. [But] now I’m ready to stick my head above the parapet a bit more.”
When pressed on whether it was “a very good-looking parapet,” Ms Waddingham laughed and confirmed: “It is!”
Ms Waddingham became a single parent after her relationship with Mr Cugnetto ended when their daughter was just two years old.
“The couple had been together for over a decade and were reportedly engaged before their separation.
This was the first time they had been seen in public
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“In that moment, your career could falter because you’re left holding the baby,” she has said of the experience. “I found in myself a strength.”
The actress faced further challenges when Kitty, then three, was hospitalised and diagnosed with the autoimmune disorder Henoch-Schönlein purpura.
The frightening episode prompted Ms Waddingham to avoid roles that would take her far from London.
It was during this period that she says she manifested her breakthrough Ted Lasso role, hoping for work that would keep her close to home. Within two months, she secured her first meeting for the part of Rebecca, filmed just 30 minutes from her house.
Mr Beresford-Cleary works as a Consultant Spine Surgeon at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and King Edward VII Hospital, specialising in elective and emergency spinal procedures.
His career path began in mechanical engineering before he pursued medicine at Edinburgh University.
Prior to finding love again, Ms Waddingham had been candid about her high standards for any potential partner.
Speaking on the Rule Breakers podcast with Michelle Visage, she emphasised that positivity and charisma were essential qualities.
The star was striking poses on the red carpet
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“I want a guy that scoops me up and goes, ‘I’ve got you, I don’t care if you’ve got your make-up on or not, I’m happy to lie in bed with you and have Marmite on toast and a glass of milk’,” she said.
The actress also listed poor kissing and avoiding eye contact among her firm deal breakers.
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