Karren Brady reveals real feelings on inspiring Hannah Waddingham’s Ted Lasso role
TED LASSO star HANNAH WADDINGHAM should expect another invitation to a football club boardroom courtesy of West Ham vice chairman KARREN BRADY.
The British actress plays AFC Richmond owner Rebecca Welton in the global hit comedy and based her character on Karren, who became “the first lady of football” after joining Birmingham City as managing director in 1993 at the age of just 23.
And The Apprentice star is chuffed with the comparison, she wants to meet Hannah and laud her in person.
Speaking exclusively, Karren says: “I have seen Ted Lasso, it’s a fabulous show and she has always said in interviews that it was based on me.
“She’s a great actress and I think she is super in every way.
“I love her sense of style, the way she conducts herself and her sense of fun.
“I even saw her speaking French when she hosted the Eurovision Song Contest, I think she’s utterly remarkable.”
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Hannah revealed in 2020 Karren was her inspiration for the part, saying she was a “wonderful role for young women who must get sick and tired growing up seeing overly glossy, plastic women on the front of women’s magazines.”
West Ham featured heavily in the AppleTV+ series as the arch rivals of AFC Richmond, managed by the American coach played by Jason Sudeikis.
But unlike Gary Lineker and Pep Guardiola, she didn’t bag a cameo on the comedy, which came to a likely end earlier this month after three seasons.
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Indeed, it’s doubtful you will ever see Karren on a TV show other than The Apprentice - despite numerous offers.
She explains: “I’ve been offered everything from Strictly to the jungle, all sorts and I always say - I’d rather eat my own eyeballs.
“I do The Apprentice because I admire and greatly like Lord Sugar and I enjoy working with him. .
“I have no desire to do anything else and that’s why when this show is over, I’m done.”
Karren has teamed up with business insurance provider Simply Business as their , highlighting the mental health challenges facing small firm owners across the UK.
Speaking about her role, she says: “When you’re a small business owner you are everything. You’re the managing director, finance director, the marketing director, right the way down to the person who makes the tea.
“So a lot of these burdens come to them and their door and helping them to have coping mechanisms to get through some of the issues they’re facing is really important.”
Find more information about the campaign
