From Roman Kemp to Lily Collins and Eve Hewson – can you spot what these rising stars have got in common?
THEY’RE rich, beautiful and have some very powerful parents.
The celebrity spawn of the rich and famous have been christened the “nepo-babies” and an article in New York Magazine outing them has shook Hollywood to the core.
But even the most talented actors, models and pop stars have to confess their famous mum and dad have given them a leg up in showbiz and nepotism has helped.
From Bridgerton beauties to Love Island influencers, we show how much of their success is down to talent and how much is their very famous genes.
Mabel
Parent: Neneh Cherry
SINCE breaking on to the music scene in 2017, Mabel McVey has scored six Top Ten singles including Don’t Call Me Up, which peaked at No3.
When the English star was named Best Female Solo Artist at the 2020 Brit Awards, she gave a shout out to her singer mum Neneh Cherry.
Swedish-born Neneh picked up two Brits in the 1990s.
Meanwhile, Mabel’s producer dad Cameron McVey has developed tracks for Massive Attack and Sugababes.
But she insists she ignored her famous connections and released music on streaming site Soundcloud and cold-called management firms instead to get her big break.
Genes: 24%
Talent: 76%
Daisy Edgar-Jones
Parent: Philip Edgar-Jones
DAISY, 24, seemingly came out of nowhere when she starred as Marianne in BBC Three hit Normal People in 2020.
In fact, the Brit actress’s first roles were in a 2016 Outnumbered festive special and a reboot of ITV’s Cold Feet.
While you are unlikely to have heard of her parents, they have a great deal of leverage in the TV and film industries.
Daisy’s dad Philip is head of entertainment at Sky while her mum Wendy was a film editor on Sean Bean’s Sharpe.
But not even her parents could have orchestrated the success of Normal People or Daisy’s popularity with viewers.
The Where The Crawdads Sing star is a natural talent.
Genes: 13%
Talent: 87%
Tom Holland
Parent: Dominic Holland
SPIDER-MAN star Tom got his big break in the stage production of Billy Elliot.
Aged nine, Tom was spotted by the casting director at a hip-hop dancing class.
The 26-year-old has gone on to star in three Spider-Man and two Avengers movies.
But it wasn’t the Holland family’s first taste of stardom as his father Dominic is a stand-up comic and writer.
The Perrier Award-winner has appeared on Have I Got News For You, Never Mind The Buzzcocks and written several books including the hugely popular How Tom Holland Eclipsed His Dad, about his son’s extraordinary journey to Hollywood superstar.
Genes: 1%
Talent: 99%
Eve Hewson
Parent: Bono
HER dad is one of the most famous rock stars on the planet and she proudly calls herself a “nepo baby,” but Dublin-born Eve is yet to become a household name.
The daughter of U2’s Bono has appeared in Netflix’s Behind Her Eyes and Apple+’s Bad Sisters.
Her first role was in 2015 movie Bridge Of Spies alongside Tom Hanks.
But the rising star has joked on Twitter: “2023 goals – be successful enough to get recognised as a nepo baby.”
On trying to make it big in entertainment, Eve said: “No one knows who I am and no one cares.
“I could jump in front of a cameraman and he’d tell me to get out of the way.”
Genes: 21%
Talent: 79%
Lily Collins
Parent: Phil Collins
THE British-born actress has wowed us in the titular role in Netflix’s hugely successful rom-com, Emily In Paris.
Before then Lily – the daughter of Genesis star Phil Collins and businesswoman Jill Tavelman – starred in The Blind Side, alongisde Sandra Bullock, Mirror, Mirror and Tolkien.
But she has denied accusations that she used her family’s connections to kick off her acting career.
She said: “I love to sing. But as I wanted to make my own way, far from the paternal genius, I preferred to be an actress.”
No matter how good a drummer your dad is, it won’t guarantee the lead in a hit show for four seasons.
Genes: 28%
Talent: 72%
Gemma Owen
Parent: Michael Owen
WITHIN a couple of hours of arriving at the Love Island villa in June Gemma had started dropping hints about her famous father.
Initially the 19-year-old dressage rider avoided naming names when telling co-star Liam that her dad “appreciates a guy who’s into sport.”
But she later revealed to the islanders that he is former England and Liverpool ace, Michael Owen.
The ex-striker revealed he cringed when his daughter performed a lap dance for her now ex-boyfriend Luca Bish during the heart rate challenge.
But her saucy moves were not enough to win the show with Ekin-Su and Davide taking the crown.
Since leaving the show, Gemma has become an ambassador for Boohoo and is in talks to star in a reality show with her dad.
Genes: 95%
Talent: 5%
Roman Kemp
Parent: Martin Kemp
EYEBROWS were raised when Roman landed his own radio show on Capital FM in 2014.
But dad Martin insisted no strings had been pulled.
The Spandau Ballet bass player told ITV’s Loose Women: “He’s most proud of that along the way I haven’t opened any doors for him.”
In 2019 Roman became a popular contender on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here, finishing in third place, and has since appeared on Celebrity Gogglebox with Martin.
But he admits to taking full advantage of his unique onscreen chemistry with his dad.
The pair landed their own ITV breakfast show, Martin & Roman’s Sunday Best, in 2020, which was renewed for a second season, and were reportedly paid £150,000 to model for M&S on Father’s Day.
Genes: 50%
Talent: 50%
Phoebe Dynevor
Parent: Sally Dynevor
SHE shot to fame in 2020 as leading lady Daphne in global phenomenon Bridgerton, which has been watched by 63million people and counting.
But no sooner than the saucy historical drama aired on Netflix, she was being compared to her Coronation Street star mum.
Just like Sally – who has played Weatherfield’s Sally Webster since 1960 – Phoebe, 27, started out on British TV.
She first appeared in BBC’s Waterloo Road in 2009 and Prisoners’ Wives two years later.
But her connections to the acting world do not end there. Phoebe’s dad Tim writes for Emmerdale and her late grandfather Gerard was a director on Corrie.
Given her film debut as Clarice Cliff in The Colour Room failed to draw much fanfare, it is unlikely nepotism has played a major part in her career.
Genes: 32%
Talent: 68%
Damian Hurley
Parent: Liz Hurley
HE has inherited his model mum’s striking looks, but can he match her acting chops?
After starring with Liz in E!’s The Royals, Damian, 20, has decided to follow his own path by becoming a director.
And by total coincidence, the Austin Powers actress has been given a role in her son’s drama, Strictly Confidential, which started filming in the Caribbean in November.
Name-dropper Damian also counts some very famous faces among his extended family as Hollywood star Hugh Grant, superstar Elton John and footie legend David Beckham are his godfathers.
Damian said: “Our parents love to say that Brooklyn Beckham and I were caught raiding and trying on our godfather Elton John’s sunglasses when we were extremely young.”
Genes: 88%
Talent: 12%
Lila Moss
Parent: Kate Moss
WITH a supermodel for a mum, it is not surprising Lila has good genes.
But a pretty face won’t cut it in the cut-throat world of modelling.
So perhaps it is little wonder that Kate has tried to give her 20-year-old daughter a leg-up where possible.
In 2018 Lila was signed to none other than Kate’s talent agency.
Her first modelling job was for her mum’s long-time friend Marc Jacobs and she also appeared on the cover of Dazed magazine, coincidentally owned by her dad Jefferson Hack.
But Lila, who has Type 1 diabetes, was given serious credit in 2021 when she walked the Fendi x Versace runway show with her Omnipod insulin pump clearly visible on her thigh.
She has said she wants to advocate for people with the condition.
Genes: 85%
Talent: 15%