Find out what Wiltshire's celebrities have been up to this year

As the year draws to a close, we looked at what famous faces with ties to Wiltshire have been up to over the past 12 months.

Critical acclaim

Swindon born Billie Piper finished her year with rave reviews for I Hate Suzie Too, the sequel to I Hate Suzie which she co-created and starred in.

The Independent said her performance cemented her as one of Britain’s finest actors while the Guardian described the show as fearlessly magnificent.

She also teased she would be willing to reprise her role as Rose Tyler in a Doctor Who spin-off, if it was shot in London.

Television return

Nick Hewer returned to our screens this year.

Former Apprentice advisor Nick Hewer, also Swindon born, returned from retirement after quitting Countdown in 2021.

He made an unexpected return to our screens in the BBC’s Pilgrimage: The Road to the Scottish Isles in April, which made him appreciate the “extraordinary impact of nature.”

He joined cricket legend Monty Panesar, Gogglebox star Scarlett Moffatt and others on a 15-day pilgrimage from Donegal to the Scottish island of Iona, visiting places of worship along the way.

Award for reality TV star

Ms Burn has made a splash in reality TV (Image: Instagram/@Kathrynlouiseburn)

Another Apprentice alumni, Swindon’s Kathryn Louise Burn, scooped Reality TV Personality Of The Year 2022 at the National Reality Television Awards after reaching the final of the BBC show.

Ms Burn, a former Dorcan Technology College student, won the award in August and also launched a pyjama business.

She told this paper: “It’s lovely that people took the time to vote for me, it means a lot. I went on The Apprentice for my business and the opportunities that have come from it have been amazing.”

Scandal and marriage

Ms Swift came under fire earlier this year. (Image: Instagram/@elleswift)

Wiltshire ‘influencers’ Elle and Connor Swift, who live together in Westbury, came under fire in January after their historic racist tweets were unearthed.

The couple, who have over 800,000 Instagram followers between them, were forced to apologise after dozens of tweets discriminating against minorities were discovered.

They were dropped by their management agency, Gleam Futures, before resurfacing in August to announce their marriage in Ibiza.

Youtuber’s Bake Off mishap remembered

Lacock born Youtuber Joe Sugg’s faint during 2020’s The Great British Bake Off was announced as the most watched mishap in the show’s 13 seasons.

Ahead of this year’s season it was revealed the moment Mr Sugg fainted, after cutting his finger on a vegetable peeler, was viewed 1.7 million times on Youtube.