WHO LOveS ya, baby?

Marion McMullen looks at some celebs who were born on Valentine’s Day

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enDeAVouR and Game of Thrones actor Anton Lesser was born in Birmingham in 1952 on the most romantic day of the year. He played Shakespeare’s tragic young lover in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of Romeo And Juliet in 1980 and he is among those featured on the CD From Shakespeare – With Love (The Best of Sonnets). 6

BlACK Panther star Danai gurira’s father was teaching chemistry at grinnell College, Iowa, when she was born on February 14, 1978. She moved from America to her parents’ native Zimbabwe when she was five and her name means “loving each other”.

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FoRMeR eastender Dean Gaffney, left, was a Valentine’s Day baby. He was born in London on February 14, 1978. He took part in Channel 4’s Celebs Go Dating last year and was under strict instructions from his then 22-yearold twin daughters not to embarrass them. He said of dating: “I don’t want to be in a club these days, it’s about a good bottle of wine and a nice meal now.”

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It’S no joke. American comedy star Jack Benny was also a Valentine’s Day baby. He was born in Chicago in 1894 and died on Boxing Day 80 years later. His showbusiness theme song was Love In Bloom, and he and his wife

Mary were married for 47 years. He made arrangements to have a rose delivered to her each day after his death, until she passed away almost nine years later. 3 tHe Good Doctor and FooTBAllIng star Bates Motel actor Kevin Keegan was Freddie Highmore, born at his aunt’s below, has said it house in Doncaster can be strange going to on Valentine’s Day, 1951. He restaurants on his birthday entered the music charts in when they are filled with 1970 couples celebrating with a

Valentine’s Day. track

He was born called in 1992 in Head

London’s over

Camden Heels In town and love, made his and his movie debut This Is Your life television aged just special was broadcast on seven. his 28th birthday.

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CAnADIAn WelSH performer

Lois Maxwell Rhydian Roberts, was another below, was born on Valentine’s Day February 14, 1983, baby and found fame and came to public as the original Miss attention on Moneypenny in the The X Factor in James Bond films. She 2007, singing went to drama school romantic songs like with future 007 Roger Somewhere, from Moore and appeared in the musical West

14 of the movies, saying Side Story, the of her co-stars: “I always Westlife hit said I’d have Roger You Raise (Moore) for a Me up and husband, but Sean Somebody (Connery) for a To love, weekend lover”. by Queen.

SHAun of The

Dead and Mission Impossible actor Simon Pegg, right, was born in gloucester on Valentine’s Day in 1970. He married his long-term girlfriend Maureen in glasgow in 2005, with friend and movie and TV collaborator nick Frost as his best man. gwyneth Paltrow was among the guests. 8 BugSY Malone, Fame and The Commitments film director Alan Parker, inset, made his appearance on Valentine’s Day in 1944. He was born in Islington and his first screenplay was a love story about young romance, called Melody. It was filmed in 1971, with oliver! actor Mark lester and Tracy Hyde playing Melody.

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