![]() Shortly after this, the actress appeared in an episode of Doctor Who, a role which saw her reunite with her St Trinian’s co-star David Tennant, and then The Three Musketeers alongside Matthew Macfadyen and Orlando Bloom. In 2009, aged 20, Wilde made her acting debut in the film St Trinian’s 2: The Legend of Fritton’s Gold, appearing alongside Rupert Everett, Colin Firth and Talulah Riley. “It was never a route I had expected to go down, but was something I found I was interested in.” “I still have friends who can’t understand how I could be an actress because normally I’m quite introverted,” she says. Having never even appeared in so much as a school play, this decision came as a surprise to her family and friends. Her next step was to enroll in a fine art course at City & Guilds of London Art School, but she wasn’t there long before realising she wanted to act. “I think you need to have a very strong personality to exist in that world and I wasn’t prepared for it.” “I stopped because it didn’t make me happy and I didn’t feel comfortable doing it,” she says. However, she rejected these labels and by 18, had decided to walk away from modelling. ![]() Wilde also caught the attention of the press, which attempted to brand her as an ‘It’ girl and named her the second most eligible girl in Britain. “I think you need to have a very strong personality to exist in the modelling world and I wasn’t prepared for it” I think I just got swept up in the ride of it all.” “I did a few shoots with Isabella Blow, which was amazing, then I met Naomi and she took me to her agency. “It was such a mad way to start within that industry,” she recalls. She joined Campbell’s agency, Premier Model Management, and the teenager soon found herself swept up in the frenzy of the fashion world, fronting campaigns for Burberry, Topshop and Abercrombie & Fitch. Describing herself as “incredibly shy” when she was younger, Wilde never considered acting, but at 14 was talent-spotted by Naomi Campbell. Her sister Isabella and ‘unofficial’ stepsister Cressida Bonas – while no blood relation, Bonas’ mother was once married to Wilde’s father – have similarly pursued acting careers. ![]() With both parents having children from previous marriages, the actress is blessed with many siblings: “I have hundreds of brothers and sisters, so my fondest memories are of growing up and playing with them in the country,” she says, smiling. Wilde changed her moniker when she became an actress (her agent suggested it after coming across Oscar Wilde’s name on her bookshelf), but otherwise remains very close to her family. Her mother, Vanessa Hubbard, was also a model when she was younger and sat for David Bailey CBE. She is the daughter of businessman John Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe, former chairman of the Watermark Group and grandson of Sir Fitzroy Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe, 1st Baronet. Wilde’s roots are similarly tied to English tradition and her family lineage can be traced back to Charles II. “I have hundreds of brothers and sisters, so my fondest memories are of growing up and playing with them in the country” It is one of those brands that I feel has such a long-standing history.” “My mum knows the brand for its jewellery and my dad for its silver. “I practically grew up with Mappin & Webb,” she comments. With her natural elegance and poise – no doubt born from her English aristocratic heritage – Wilde was the ideal choice for the jeweller, which has more than 241 years of history and a Royal Warrant that was first granted by Queen Victoria in 1897. Her most recent role as the brand ambassador of Mappin & Webb is more in line with Wilde’s work to date, having worked as a model before becoming an actress. And yet, this suggests that she is far more self-assured than many others in an industry that seems to be riddled with self-doubt and low self-esteem. Speaking to 27-year-old Wilde, her slightly reserved nature undoubtedly makes her come across as more reticent than some of her acting peers and she admits that she has never been one “to shout the loudest in the room”. However, having pursued two of the most competitive industries, modelling and acting, she is by no means timid, and for those of you who watched the second series of the BBC’s hit period drama Poldark, in which she plays the feisty Caroline Penvenen, you perhaps wouldn’t be surprised. Granted, with her angelic features and softly spoken voice, it would be an easy assumption to make. Despite first impressions, Gabriella Wilde is no shrinking violet.
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