Written by Lauren Pinkney
Nottingham Trent University attracts thousands of bold and brilliant students from across the UK every year. It’s no surprise, then, that Trent has produced its fair share of celebrities over the years, ranging from comedians to rugby captains to broadcasters to bakers. Trent definitely knows how to produce talent.
Here are 7 celebrities you won’t believe were Nottingham Trent students:
1. Matt Berry
Matt left Trent with a BA in Contemporary Arts and went on to become a bit of a comedy God. He’s made memorable appearances in cult hits the IT Crowd, The Mighty Boosh, Snuff Box and Toast of London. This BAFTA award winner has definitely done Trent proud and is one of the biggest stars on our list of celebrities.
2. Crista Cullen
Crista Cullen has made a name for herself as an English hockey hero after helping team GB storm to gold medal victory at Rio 2016. Her degree in Business Studies may not have contributed to her skills on the pitch, but it has helped her in her career as a Business Development Consultant – talk about multi-talented!
Crista has been repeatedly nominated as FIH Hockey Player of the Year and was even appointed an MBE in 2017 – what a woman!
3. Stephen Dixon
Stephen left Trent in 1995 and went on to thrive in the world of broadcasting. His accomplished career in journalism has taken him from ITV to Channel 5, ITN to Channel 4. These days, you can find him presenting Sky News @ Breakfast on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. You might want to set an early alarm to catch him in action!
Informing the public of the latest happenings aren’t Steve’s only talents though. He also released a collection of poetry in 2018 called ‘Love is the beauty of the soul’ – how sweet!
4. Nick Easter
Nick may have studied Maths at Trent, but he’s made a name for himself as a force to be reckoned with in rugby union. During his time at Harlequins, he was named ‘Player of the Year’ 4 times and became the most capped player in the 2013-2014 season. As well as being a roaring success on a club level, Nick also helped England to it’s 2011 Six Nations victory!
5. Sam Fell
Sam graduated from Trent and went on to create the childhood-defining film Flushed Away. I think anyone who can think up a story about a rat saving a bunch of slugs from death by toilet flush deserves a round of applause! Seriously, that movie was bizarre and yet I can’t help but love it.
Sam contributed to other movie classics too, with stints directing The Tales of Despereux (he might have a thing for rodents!) and ParaNorman.
6. Frances Quinn
Frances Quinn rose to fame as the winner of Great British Bake Off in 2013. She wowed Paul and Mary with her creative flair and eye for detail. No doubt being a children’s fashion designer will have helped her whisk up some show-stopping baked goodies.
Frances went on to release her own cookery book, Quintessential Baking, which teaches readers how to inject some Star Baker magic into classic recipes. So, if you can’t bake for the life of you and fancy supporting this celebrity Trent student, this is the book for you!
7. Christian O’Connell
Christian O’Connell’s voice may be just as famous as his face. This Trent grad is the UK’s most decorated Radio DJ with a stunning 11 Sony Golden Awards under his belt. As well as selling out tours at the Edinburgh Fringe Comedy Festival, he’s also been inducted into the UK Radio Academy Wall of Fame. Christian’s radio shows have hosted a multitude of famous faces from David Tennant to David Cameron. He even managed to rope in Tony Blair for a game of “Who’s Calling Christian?”
Hopefully, the faces on our list of surprising Trent uni celebrities will have rang a few bells. If not, you’re all clued up now. Hold your head up high and walk the lecture halls of Trent Uni knowing you’re following in the steps of celeb royalty!
