Despite being known for living in Brighton and hosting epic parties on the beach, DJ FatBoy Slim didn’t actually hail from Sussex – but from Bromley in Kent. Other famous Brighton residents such as YouTuber Zoella and former boxer Chris Eubank also grew up elsewhere. So which famous people are actually from this fair old seaside town we call Brighton?
Holly Willoughby (TV presenter)
Greeting us from the comfort of the This Morning couch since 2009, Holly Willoughby is one of the UK’s most recognisable faces and one of Brighton’s most successful exports. Educated at Burgess Hill Girls’ school, she went on to attend The College of Richard Collyer in Horsham, which educated comedian Harry Enfield.
Scouted as a model by Storm at 14, she later presented shows including The Xtra Factor, The Voice UK and Freeze the Fear with Wim Hoff. Willoughby stepped in for one series to replace Ant McPartlin on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! and was well-known as a team captain on ITV2 comedy panel show Celebrity Juice. Holly no longer lives in Brighton but a £3 million London house with her partner and their three children. This Brighton girl has done good!
Lewis Dunk (footballer)
Qualifying for Europe in the 2022/23 season, Brighton FC have been enjoying unparalleled success under the captaincy of Brighton-born Lewis Dunk. With Premier League players originating from all over the world, it is highly unusual to find a captain who grew up so close to his local club. Another unique quality of Dunk’s is that he has remained loyal to the Seagulls throughout his career, joining the academy in 2003 and remaining there for over 20 years.
In the 2016-2017 season, the centre-back was named in the Championship team of the year and impressed so much at club level he went on to seal his senior England debut in 2018. That makes him the fourth Brighton player to earn an England cap. We won’t go and ruin things by mentioning the fact he supports Chelsea and named his dog ‘Didier’ in homage to the Chelsea striker Didier Drogba! No, we won’t do that.
Katie Price/aka Jordan (model and media personality)
Before becoming a model, the young Katie excelled in sports when growing up in Sussex. Attending Blatchington Mill School in Hove, she swam in regional competitions and was passionate about horses and horse-riding. Like Willoughby, Price started modelling at a young age when she was spotted at 13. Her alter-ego Jordan was born in 1996 when she appeared in the British newspaper The Sun.
Price regularly appeared in FHM, Playboy, Vogue and Esquire and went on to make numerous celebrity appearances on TV. She was the centrepiece of reality show Katie Price: My Crazy Life and made a memorable appearance on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! where she met singer Peter Andre. Price has frequently made headlines for getting on the wrong side of the law, including several driving offences.
Peter James (crime writer)
Not only does novelist Peter James come from Brighton but so too does his fictional character – Detective Superintendent Roy Grace – who stars in 19 of his novels. All of the Roy Grace books are based in Brighton and the series has sold over 21 million copies worldwide.
James decided to set the series in Brighton after reading Graham Greene’s Brighton Rock as a kid, and relishing the dark underbelly of the town. A big fan of the town, James writes on his website that one of his favourite things to do is stroll along the Undercliff Walk from the Brighton Marina to the Black Rock area. He also praises Hotel Du Vin as his favourite hotel, and Bohemia as the best bar.
Nigel Kennedy (violinist)
Music is definitely in the Kennedy blood with Nigel’s grandfather Lauri Kennedy formerly a principal cellist with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and grandmother Dorothy Kennedy, a pianist. His grandparents were Australian, but his father cellist John Kennedy was born in England and joined the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.
A childhood prodigy, Nigel was discovered on a British TV series at 11 and has spent his career performing classical music as well as jazz, klezmer and other genres. Kennedy has joined The Who on stage at the Royal Albert Hall and Kate Bush for several of her recordings. Despite being from Brighton, he’s an Aston Villa fan and often found in claret and blue supporting his team at Villa Park. But we won’t hold that against him too much!
