There is something about Wales that makes it’s people very talented. Maybe it’s all the fresh air, rolling hills and beautiful coasts and mountains? For a country with only 3 million inhabitants, it seems to have a high proportion of celebrity, with many coming from the populous capital itself, Cardiff. The city boasts some famous residents, past and present so let’s take a look at those Cardiffians we all know and love.
Dame Shirley Bassey is an absolute legend and was born in Bute Street in 1937. Her father was a seaman from Nigeria and her mother from Yorkshire, which is a perfect example of the diverse population that was attracted to Cardiff due to it being one of the most important ports at that time. Her start in life was not so glamorous and she worked at a local factory and as a waitress before being spotted by a scout.
Jeremy Bowen is a broadcaster and war correspondent who was educated at Cardiff High School. He joined the BBC in 1984 and has since reported from over 80 countries. In 2013, while reporting in Egypt, he was shot in the head but thankfully recovered. He is currently one of a few journalists reporting from inside Syria.
Ryan Giggs was born in Cardiff in 1973 and grew up playing footie on the streets of the city. The family moved away to Salford when Giggs was young, hence the very successful career at Manchester United, but he played for the Wales National Team. To have your own shot at a winning website, try Drupal Design Agency. For more information, visit https://www.website-express.co.uk/service/drupal-development-agency
Another sports celeb is Tanni Grey-Thomson who was born in Cardiff in 1969. She was born with spina bifida but went on to become one of the most successful Paralympians in the UK. In 1993 she was appointed an MBE for her services to sport and this became an OBE in 2000. She now presents television programmes for the BBC and Welsh channel S4C.
There seems to be something about Cardiff and sports as here comes Colin Jackson. Born in 1967, he played cricket, football, rugby and basketball for his school, Llanedeyrn High. It was athletics that he enjoyed the most and particularly the 110m hurdles. In 1993 he set a world record time of 12.91 seconds for the hurdles and this was not broken until 2006. After retiring he took up coaching and TV presenting.
An unlikely hero was also born over 30 years ago in a normal household one night. Mike Young was an advertising copywriter who had recently married and gained a stepson. One night, when the boy couldn’t sleep, Mike invented a story about a bear with superpowers – SuperTed. Young turned these stories into a book with over 100 being published. S4C turned SuperTed into an animation which aired in 1982 and two years later the BBC bought the rights too. In 1989, the series won a BAFTA for best animation and it all started in Cardiff.
