Olivier Awards host Hannah Waddingham was cheered and applauded after she told off a photographer who appeared to ask her to “show your leg”.
The Ted Lasso star took to the red carpet of the award show held at London’s Royal Albert Hall on Sunday to pose for photographs wearing a light purple, sequined gown.
While standing on a set of steps on the carpet, the show’s host could be heard calling out a photographer in the waiting crowd.
In a video posted on X, formerly Twitter, the photographer’s words are inaudible but Waddingham can be heard replying: “Oh my God, you would never say that to a man.
“Don’t be a dick, otherwise I’ll move off.
“Just don’t say, ‘show your leg’, no.”
Onlookers could then be heard cheering and applauding the star as she left the red carpet and walked towards the Royal Albert Hall.
Waddingham continued to discuss the incident as she left, before she could be heard saying: “Have some manners.”
Bruna Guimaraes, 29, from Brazil, who witnessed the incident and filmed the video posted to X, told the PA news agency how she “quickly saw that something was wrong” after the star’s expression changed.
Ms Guimaraes said she had travelled from Sao Paulo to see Waddingham host the award show, adding that she is a “huge fan”.
“It would be a dream to meet her and I was waiting at the green carpet stalls – I even brought gifts I meant to try and give to her because people usually stop by there to greet the fans,” she said.
“And suddenly there she was, all glamorous and getting ready for pictures.
“I started recording the video but quickly saw that something was wrong because her expression changed instantly.”
Ms Guimaraes, a market researcher, said she “couldn’t really hear the photographer” but said she heard the star’s reply and “understood how she was standing up for something disrespectful he said that he would never ask for if she were a man”.
She added: “Sadly, because of this, she didn’t get through to the end of the stairs where we were and I missed the chance of talking to her.
“But I’m so glad I got to witness her not let him get away with it and once again prove why I consider her one of my biggest role models.”
After hosting the ceremony in 2023, the British singer and actress returned to the role this year, opening the show with a musical performance of Anything Goes.
Waddingham is best known for her role in the Apple TV+ comedy series, Ted Lasso, where she played Richmond FC owner Rebecca Welton.
The London-born star has also appeared in Game of Thrones and Sex Education, and was hailed as a national treasure when she co-hosted last year’s Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool.
