She wanted to care for her daughter instead.
Ted Lasso star Hannah Waddingham has revealed that she almost didn’t audition for the hit series following her daughter’s health scare.
The single mum was reluctant to book the role on the Apple TV series as she felt work would take her away from caring for her daughter.
Hannah has an eight-year-old daughter who she keeps out of the spotlight.
When her daughter was three years old, she became very sick while Hannah was away working in Belfast and the incident has stuck with her.
Speaking to People, the Rebecca Welton actor said: “I can talk about it now but I couldn’t for a very long time. She was in the hospital for a while with them not knowing what it was.”
Her daughter was diagnosed with Henoch-Schönlein purpura or HSP which is a disease where the small blood vessels become inflamed and damaged and produce a rash called purpura.
In 2021, Hannah spoke about her daughter’s condition on Kate Thornton’s White Wine Question Time podcast, saying: “For anyone who knows what it’s like, it’s really horrific.”
Following the health scare, Hannah decided to only take jobs in the London area so she could be close to her child but after her team urged her to audition for Ted Lasso she finally gave in.
She continued to People: “I keep saying to her that we are a team and that I have to do this. I have to strike while the iron is hot. I’m not so conceited that I would think that I will always have this kind of focus.”
