How tall is Hannah Waddingham? Eurovision host and Ted Lasso actor’s height and how she compares

Eurovision fans tuning in to watch the first semi-final were left awed by the "gloriously" tall host Hannah Waddingham.

The actor, who picked up an Emmy in 2021 for her role in Apple TV's Ted Lasso series, will be back as one of the hosts for the song contest final in Liverpool. She was joined by Alesha Dixon and Ukrainian singer Julia Sanina for the semi-finals on BBC.

Fans will be pleased to know that the trio are returning for the Grand Final on Saturday (13 May). Irish comedian and broadcaster Graham Norton will round-out the presenting team for the Eurovision final this weekend.

Hannah Waddingham's height caught the attention of watchers on Tuesday night, but do you know how tall she actually is? The actor is among the tallest cast members on Ted Lasso as well as Eurovision.

Here is her height explained and how she compares to other famously tall celebrities - and the tallest people of all time.

How tall is Hannah Waddingham? 

The actress and Eurovision host stands at 5 foot 11 in height (1.80m). However, that is without heels and when she is on stage for the competition she is even taller. 

Due to wearing high heels, Hannah Waddingham will likely be over 6 feet tall during the show in Liverpool. She towered over the other hosts in the first semi-final on Tuesday (9 May). 

How does Hannah Waddington’s height compare? 

The Ted Lasso actor is taller than her fellow Eurovision hosts with Alesha Dixon standing at 5 foot 7 and a half inches (1.69m), Julia Sanina being 5 foot 4 (1.64m) and Graham Norton who is 5 foot 8 (1.73m). 

But how does Hannah Waddingham compare to other famously tall people? She is 5 foot 11 (1.80m) and while that is taller than many, she pales in comparison to other giant celebrities. 

Famously gangly footballer Peter Crouch is 6 foot 6 (2.01m), making him significantly taller than the Eurovision host - at least when she is out of heels. She might catch up a bit with the extra three/ four inches. 

But when you compare her to true giants like NBA legend Shaquelle O’Neil who stands at a staggering 7 foot 1 (2.16m), she positively pales in comparison. Although the vast majority of people on the planet would look short when standing next to Shaq. 

However if Shaq had ever been side-by-side with the French wrestler André René Roussimoff, better known as Andre the Giant, he would have looked like the small one. The Frenchman stood at a staggering 7 foot 3 (2.24m). 

The giant nickname certainly was fitting. 

Who is the tallest person in history?

Hannah Waddingham's height is certainly impressive and helps to make her stand out among her Eurovision hosts. But when compared to giants like Shaq and Andre the Giant, she seems almost average height.

However even those two famously tall celebrities pale in comparison to the tallest verified human in recorded history. Robert Wadlow, an American who lived between 1918 and 1940, was a jawdropping 8 foot 11 inches tall (2.72m) - making him almost two feet taller than Shaq and Andre the Giant.

The tallest woman is Zeng Jinlian who lived in China from 1964 to 1982 and was verified as being 8 foot 1 inch tall (2.48m) - which is more than two feet taller than Hannah Waddingham. She is the only verified woman to have reached 8 foot tall, but there are claims that Trijntje Keever (1616-1633) and Ella Ewing (1872-1913) were both over 8 foot 4 inches tall - however both cases are disputed and unverified.