When Cynthia Erivo took part in an exclusive photoshoot with HELLO! in 2014, the actress - selected as one of our rising stars - was described as "a diminutive powerhouse". Since then, her talent and charisma have taken her to greater heights than she could ever have dreamed.
Her performance as Elphaba in box-office smash Wicked-history's highest-grossing film based on a Broadway musical - is being tipped for Oscar success, while she was also nominated for a Best Actress award at the Golden Globes.
In short, her career continues to defy gravity... and it all started at a small secondary school in South London.
Born in Stockwell, Cynthia - who turns 38 this week - was raised with her younger sister Stephanie by their single mother Edith, who always knew she would be a success.
"[My mum] has this baby book and in it she wrote: 'I think [Cynthia is] going to be a singer and an actress.' I was 18 months old or something," she has said.
Her parents separated when she was young and her father later became estranged from the family, a trauma she channelled in a ballad she wrote called You're Not Here. "He told me that he was out of our lives, and I had to relay the message to everyone," she has recalled. "I didn't see it coming, because what 16-year-old would? It was deeply disappointing, deeply heartbreaking."
SIGNS OF STARDOM
At the time, she was attending La Retraite Roman Catholic Girls' School in Clapham Park, where her budding star power was immediately apparent.
Ruth Coyle, the school's director of admissions, careers and technical education, exclusively tells us that it was obvious Cynthia would be a huge success. "She showed talent from a young age and her mannerisms haven't changed since she was a little girl.
"She always took part in school productions and was a fantastic singer. She was the lead in Guys and Dolls, Annie and My Fair Lady.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة January 13, 2025 من HELLO! UK.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
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هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة January 13, 2025 من HELLO! UK.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
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