Hannah Waddingham goes public with ‘affectionate’ new surgeon boyfriend at Cheltenham Festival

Hannah Waddingham was one of the many celebrities flocking to Cheltenham for the fourth and final day of the races on Friday. The 51-year-old actress wasn’t alone, however, as she was joined by her new boyfriend, spinal surgeon Nick Beresford-Cleary.

The Ted Lasso star and Nick were making their official debut at the event, which saw Hannah looking gorgeous in a chic plaid suit. The star carried a brown clutch bag and wore a trilby hat, while Nick looked dapper in a similar suit.

A source told HELLO!: “They arrived hand-in-hand and were very tactile together. They stood outside on the balcony of the Holland Cooper suite, watching the horses. He would put his hand on the small of her back, and she was very affectionate towards him. They kissed on the lips after watching David Blaine for half an hour.

“At one sweet point, a trick resulted in him choosing Hannah’s card, and Hannah giggled and said, ‘We have a connection’.”

Back in 2024, Hannah told Michelle Visage on the Rule Breakers podcast that she was very “picky” when it came to finding love. “I’m a pretty picky girl really, and have such a very specific kind of criteria of things,” she admitted.

“One of the main things with guys, just come on man, positivity – positivity and charisma and I’m your gal. But there’s an awful lot of misogs (miserable old gits) out there.

Speaking about what she looks for in a partner, she added: “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’. And just be a lovely positive, charismatic soul. I’m 50 and I’m like, ‘Dude, if you are not going to step up, step off and be gone. Sod off until someone fabulous comes along’.”

Hannah’s previous partner

Hannah was previously in a relationship for eight years with hospitality manager Gianluca Cugnetto, and the couple share a daughter named Kitty.

Speaking about being a single mother with Glamour, Hannah said: “Being a single mother in your forties is not easy! I’m not going to lie, it’s quite exhausting. One of the greatest acting jobs in my life is pretending I have energy to my daughter! Of course, I never intended to be a single mother, but luckily I’m still on good terms with my daughter’s father, which is important.”

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She added: “I do believe that when you painfully shut one door, the sun shines through the cracks of another and you have to go to it. Of course, some days I think that I’m an absolutely rubbish mother because I go out to work strange hours and I can’t always be with my girl, and I do believe women particularly have inherent guilt. 

“But I’m learning to feel pride in my work and that can only be a positive thing to teach my daughter – just as I saw my mother working, my daughter now sees me, and so it continues.”