Suffolk school ‘exceptionally proud’ of Bridgerton actress

At school, Dodd was in musicals including Grease, Little Shop of Horrors and We Will Rock You.

Mr Cox, assistant principal and drama teacher, said: “What always struck us about Hannah is that she’s just so down to earth and modest and friendly and she was really popular but was just really kind and lovely… she is genuinely a really great person.”

He said they have had a number of pupils go on to drama schools and others who have worked in the music industry and in West End productions.

“We are really proud of our performing arts here… we knew that Hannah was going to do really well,” he added.

He said the school was “exceptionally proud of her” and she could be held up as an example to its current cohort of youngsters.

“It is really, really inspiring; we make a big thing of celebrating our students and their successes here because Sudbury, although it is a town, is rural and is cut off from some of the big cities,” he said.

“So people like Hannah going off and succeeding proves to people that it can happen.”