Hannah Waddingham takes cardboard purse made by her nine-year-old daughter to SAG Awards

‘My daughter wanted to contribute, so she made me a bag’

Hannah Waddingham walked the red carpet at the 2024 SAG Awards with a special accessory: a purse made by her nine-year-old daughter, Kitty.

The 49-year-old actor walked the red carpet at the awards show on 24 February, as she was nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series for her role in Ted Lasso. The award ultimately went to Ayo Edebiri for her role in The Bear.

For the occasion, Waddingham wore a sparkled, maroon, off-the-shoulder dress, which had a slit. She also had her blonde hair curled and nails painted nude, as her accessories included a silver ring and bracelet. However, she did pair the glamorous outfit with a more casual accessory, a cardboard purse made by her daughter, who she shares with ex Gianluca Cugnetto.

The cardboard bag featured multi-coloured drawings on it and the word “epic” written across it. It was also a rectangular shape, with an opening on the top and a white paper handle.

During Netflix’s red carpet pre-show of the event, Waddingham went on to showcase her bag, before explaining that she was the one who wanted to bring it to the ceremony.

“My daughter wanted to contribute, so she made me a bag,” she said. “She said to me, ‘You know mommy, you don’t need to…you don’t need to take it.’ And I was like, ‘No, it’s going on the red carpet with me.’ Imagine, my stylist was like, ‘Wait what?’”

She went on to express how much she prioritises being a mother, even in the midst of her busy career. “It’s the most important thing,” she said about having children. “This is all great but this is the most important.”

Speaking to Entertainment Tonight on the red carpet of the SAG Awards, she continued to showcase and praise the purse. Waddingham also specified that when Kitty created the purse, she was inspired by something the actor had told her.

“I love that she was just like, ‘It’s a little one love,’ and she said to me: ‘Mommy it goes with everything and nothing, just like you say,’” she explained about the purse. “That’s a well-trained baby right there.”

Throughout her career in Hollywood, Waddingham has spoken candidly about managing her time with her family. During an interview with Glamour UK in October, she opened up about why she waited until she turned 40 to become a mother.

“I wanted to have a child when I was ready and to not resent that child for taking me away from my career,” she said. “I wanted the privilege of motherhood to work in tandem with my career, rather than me thinking, ‘God, you’re stopping me doing things…’ Because the greatest gift in the world is a child and they are complete, beautiful, green innocents.”

She added that while it was important for her to be ready when she became a parent, being a “single mother in [her] forties is not easy”.

“I’m not going to lie, it’s quite exhausting,” the Game of Thrones star added. “One of the greatest acting jobs in my life is pretending I have energy to my daughter! Honestly, when she says to me, ‘Oh, let’s do this or let’s do that, mumma,’ my whole body goes, ‘Oh my God, really?’”

Aside from Waddingham’s nomination at the SAG Awards, Ted Lasso, was up for three other awards, including Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series. Both Jason Sudeikis and Brett Goldstein were also nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series for their roles in the program.