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Whether you are Apple Martin (daughter of Chris and Gywnnie), Gene Gallagher (son of Liam and singer Nicole Appleton) or Lila Moss (daughter of Kate), the career path for a modern nepo baby can be both gilded and predictable.
These children of famous parents seemingly just have to go through the motions – red carpet preening, poses on Instagram, perhaps occasionally wearing similar clothes to your most famous parent (Brooklyn Beckham, we’re looking at you) – and, just like that, fame, fortune and lucrative brand endorsements follow.
Even the talented find it helpful to have famous parents.
Earlier this month, 21-year-old Joe Anders, an up-and-coming screenwriter, appeared on the red carpet at the world premiere of his film in London – alongside his proud mother Kate Winslet.
Joe’s father is the acclaimed director Sam Mendes, while the movie, Goodbye June, marked Kate’s directorial debut.
But what about those children of famous parents who don’t cash in on their connections? Because, despite the proliferation of nepo babies on our screens and social media feeds, there are a significant number of non-nepos out there, hiding under the radar.
So the Daily Mail presents our ultimate non-nepo baby quiz. Follow our fun clues and see if you can guess the famous parents of these ultra-discreet individuals – and find out what non-starry careers they chose.
1. HER ACHIEVEMENTS HAVE ROCKED HIM
This 39-year-old GP broke free of the fame game despite her father being royally famous. And, sweetly, he admits that the striking blonde’s achievements have truly rocked him.
Speaking proudly of his firstborn daughter, the musician said: ‘Rory was the perfect child. She was quite shy and incredibly modest. She had a French education – her mother is French – and it was a very hard-working school, which gave her a tremendous work ethic.
‘Of all my children, she has been perhaps the hardest working. She always applied herself and I’m so proud of what she does today.
‘It’s not easy becoming a doctor. You have seven or eight years of basic training, constant exams, and it’s hard work, but Rory has dealt with it all very stoically.’ But who is her mystery dad?
A: Brian May
B: Bob Geldof
C: Benny Andersson
D: Roger Taylor
2. SO, DOES HE WEAR PRADA?
This star’s son has stayed firmly on the fringes of his mother’s success as one of the most powerful women in the fashion industry – and doesn’t appear to wear Prada.
Charles, 40, has instead opted for a career well away from the limelight – shunning his mother’s A-list connections to win a place at Oxford to study history, before entering medical school at Columbia University in New York. He later specialised in psychiatry.
During the pandemic in 2020, his famous mum opened up about her son working on the front line rather the front row. She said: ‘He is currently quite ill and self-quarantining at home. But when he is able he will return to the ICU at his hospital. I am so proud of him and so grateful to all the health workers.’ In vogue, or what!
A: Anna Wintour
B: Gwyneth Paltrow
C: Donatella Versace
D: Miuccia Prada
3. AN ATOMIC SURPRISE
Lilly-Sue’s father certainly lifted her mother up when he swept her off her feet but, sadly, their marriage collapsed into a real cat-fight.
Today, though, Lilly-Sue has made herself whole again, and despite her mother’s wild past – drink, drugs, younger men, plastic surgery – she has committed the ultimate rebellion and become a thoroughly sensible accountant. So, just who is Lilly-Sue’s mother?
A: Katie Price
B: Danniella Westbrook
C: Lily Allen
D: Kerry Katona
4. HE MIGHT HAVE BEAN A STAR
Despite his dad’s fame and fortune, Benjamin, the 32-year-old son of this legendary actor, had a cunning plan when he attended the prestigious Sandhurst military academy in 2016. Now a successful Army officer, he joined the Gurkhas after passing out from Sandhurst and then spent three months in Nepal.
There, he immersed himself in the warrior culture that makes the Gurkhas such a unique force within the British Army, summed up in their motto: ‘It is better to die than be a coward.’ It was a choice that was a million miles away from the many red carpets his father has appeared on.
It seems he rapidly became a core member of the force. The Gurkha Brigade Association’s newsletter in 2019 said of him: ‘He grasped the language remarkably quickly. This may be attributed either to his language experience, having studied both Arabic and Spanish previous, or to his urgent requirement to learn the local Nepalese “chat-up lines”.’
All this despite his father being worth an estimated £100 million thanks to the success of his movies and an extraordinarily popular television series.
He could have bean a star – but who is his father?
A: Rowan Atkinson
B: Sean Bean
C: Hugh Laurie
D: Tony Robinson
5. SPACE STUDIES SUM UP HER SUCCESS
This presenter and television personality was always known for having a way with numbers and famously graduated from Cambridge University – just like her daughter, Dr Katie, 33.
Avoiding the TV world, Katie instead completed her PhD in nanotechnology – the study of materials down to the subatomic level – at Cambridge in 2022, and went on to work as a nanoscientist.
Her work is focused on antibody cancer treatments and she aims to transform the method in which they are delivered to patients. If successful, it could lead to patients being able to inject drugs at home.
To aid her research, she plans to build a pharmaceuticals factory in space and use microgravity production to change the face of medicine. Katie has worked for Nasa and is described by her mum as brilliant.
A: Rachel Riley
B: Carol Vorderman
C: Esther Rantzen
D: Susie Dent
6. READY, STEADY… WHO CAN SHE BE?
Her mother has been no stranger to an early start and, just like her, Winnie, 24, is up with the lark. Only for her, it’s not for the TV sofa, but for a job as a building site labourer. Winnie’s father is also a household name (and surely would rustle her up a nice lunchbox). However, he and Winnie’s mother have now split, despite working together for a time on screen.
Happily, their daughter appears unscathed, as her famous mother reveals: ‘Winnie is amazing. She lives with me and works as a labourer on a building site. Then she sits at the sewing machine. She made me a jacket the other day out of a great big cotton shawl.’
Her mother has praised Winnie for being ‘very kind to me, and very thoughtful’. So, who is the mother of this grafter?
A: Alison Hammond
B: Vanessa Feltz
C: Fern Britton
D: Trisha Goddard
7. HE FOUND RECIPE TO MAKE PA PROUD
His fearsome persona in the kitchen led to him becoming globally famous and fabulously wealthy.
However, this foul-mouthed superstar’s son – unlike two of his sisters, who have basked in their family’s connections and notoriety – instead decided to leave his luxurious family homes in London and Bel Air.
His admirable career path? Becoming a commando in the Royal Marines.
Even in military uniform Jack, 25, who previously studied at Exeter University, bears more than a passing resemblance to his famous father, with the same blond hair and square jawline.
His dad has often boasted of his son’s success in his chosen field – and is also proud of his daughter, Megan, 27, who also avoided public attention when she joined the police force.
So who the hell can their dad be?
A: Heston Blumenthal
B: Marco Pierre White
C: Jamie Oliver
D: Gordon Ramsay
8. COULD THEY BE MAGIC?
This singer’s two eldest children have never forgotten where they came from – indeed, their father had humble beginnings on a council estate in Frodsham, Cheshire. So it’s little wonder they shied away from showbusiness.
Son Daniel, 25, who stands at 6ft 2in tall, became an internet sensation last year when his doting dad shared a picture of Daniel towering over him. Hilarity soon swept the internet, as dad is just 5ft 7in.
Despite this brush with online fame, Daniel hasn’t sought out brand endorsements, but rather is pursuing a career in medicine.
Meanwhile, the singer’s daughter Emily, 23, has also avoided celebrity, as he revealed, saying of his children: ‘The two oldest ones, Daniel and Emily, have kind of gone into medicine and physiology – studying strength and conditioning.’ Perhaps the fame game was all too much of a circus for them.
A: Sting
B: Mick Jagger
C: Gary Barlow
D: Jarvis Cocker
9. A LESSON IN HUMILITY
Get your detective skills ready to work out which celebrity’s son is a primary school teacher. But be careful . . . you might be spooked out by the fact it seems so unlikely.
Myles, 25, has a mother who is one of Britain’s most in-demand actresses. She was married to his father – her first husband, the cartoonist Spencer McCallum – for just eight weeks before they split and she went on to wed a fellow British actor.
Today, they’re one of the UK’s most powerful thespian couples, recently celebrating their 21st anniversary.
But clearly Myles has never been tempted to follow them down the acting path, preferring the National Curriculum to the National Television Awards.
A: Emma Thompson
B: Keeley Hawes
C: Imelda Staunton
D: Rachel Weisz
10. THE MASKED MOTHER
Her famously fit TV presenter mother has said plenty about the shortcomings of the medical establishment when it comes to treating the menopause.
However, her daughter, Holly, 24, has chosen a career as an NHS dietitian – and, today, even advises her super-toned mum on what to eat.
Last year, Holly graduated from Newcastle University after four years of study. She then went on to start her career at a hospital in Manchester.
Speaking the year before Holly finished her degree, her proud mum said: ‘She’s working in hospitals on placements. She’ll do another placement and then she’ll do her dissertation before she graduates next June. Then she’ll go straight to the NHS.’
So do you think you can unmask this celebrity?
A: Davina McCall
B: Gabby Logan
C: Gemma Atkinson
D: Penny Lancaster
