13 December 2023 , 13:51
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Nativity! became an instant hit when it first landed in the cinemas due to its hilarious script and cast of adorable primary school children.
But one child star who stood out was Bob, played by actor Ben Wilby, who won the hearts of viewers with his attempts at pelvic thrusts and breakdancing. Fast-forward 14 years since its release and Ben is all grown up and looks completely unrecognisable. Sporting a muscular frame and sandy blonde hair, there are clearly still hints of him as an adorable child. Ben popped into the Heart Breakfast studio to audition in front of host Amanda Holden for the radio show's Christmas Show. Ben has followed in the footsteps of Leona Lewis, Tom Fletcher and Ashley Roberts.
Be Wilby auditioned for Heart Breakfast;s Christmas show (Heart)Nativity!, which ended up a trilogy, is about a school teacher who lands himself in hot water when he pretends that a Hollywood agent is coming St Bernadette school to watch their nativity play. But that couldn't be further from the truth. Deciding to keep his secret to himself, the children are mentored by a teaching assistant, who takes the Christmas play incredibly seriously.
And one stand out character is Bob, who becomes the centre of attention. The film stars a host of big names including Alan Carr, Pam Ferris and Martin Freeman. Ben Wilby was only seven years old when he starred in the hit comedy film and is now a strapping 21 year old man.
The actor went on to star in all three Nativity films including Nativity 2: Danger in the Manger! and Nativity 3: Dude Where's My Donkey. Ben was at a Cambridge based performing arts college, Emil Dale Academy which trains its students for a career in the acting industry. The star has a fan base of more than 80,000 followers on his TikTok where he reminds people of his past fame.
Martin Freeman's cheeky comment to Alison Hammond leaves her in stitches
Ben Wilby was seven years old when he starred in the film (BPM)Another child star that is now all grown up is Cadi Mullane, who starred as one of the stars. Cadi played Crystal and according to her Instagram profile, 24 year old is a "master of karate." Like Ben, she too is a fan of TikTok and speaks about her experience in the Christmas favourite.
In one clip she speaks about landing the role through an agency that was looking for "kids who were really chatty, could dance a little bit and sing a little bit." Another child star was Becky played by Krista Hyatt who is now 25. A year before the release of the film, she got to the final of Britain’s Got Talent in a dance duo called The Cheeky Monkeys. Krista and Charlie Dixon both starred in Nativity! He played Thomas, a student at Oakmoor, which was the private school.
And the girl who always wore the stripy hat was played by Maeve Dolan. Her hilarious audition was Teenage Dirtbag. Maeve is now 23 and was reportedly studying at a university in London. She tends to upload videos on TikTok and chats about knitting, Teen Wolf and being at uni.