Princess Kate's special behind-the-scenes request for Princess Charlotte revealed Zizi Strallen is one of the busiest stars in showbusiness. After landing her first professional job aged 17, there was never any doubt that she was destined for a glittering career as a West End leading lady.
The Hammersmith-born actress, who is the niece of British household name Bonnie Langford, is chatting to HELLO! ahead of a double show day at London’s Apollo Victoria Theatre, where she is playing Glinda in the musical Wicked.
© Getty Images for The National LoBut it was her Olivier Award-nominated portrayal of Mary Poppins in 2022 that won her a royal seal of approval: her performance was seen by the Princess of Wales, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, as well as Sir David and Lady Beckham.
Princess Kate had a very special request, Zizi tells us, when she and her royal children went backstage after seeing her shine as Mary Poppins.
'She wanted to hug me, which was really cute.'
"Kate brought Prince George and Princess Charlotte to see Mary Poppins. They came backstage, and she said to me: 'Would it be OK for Charlotte to have a cuddle with Mary Poppins?' I was like: 'Yes!' She wanted to hug me, which was really cute.
© Getty ImagesBut Zizi's "surreal day" didn't stop there, because following her afternoon with the British royals, celebrity royalty, David and Victoria Beckham attended the show.
"It was a surreal day, because they came in the afternoon, and then David Beckham and Victoria came in the evening with [their children] Harper, Romeo and Cruz."
The Strallen sisters
Zizi is one of the four Strallen sisters - her siblings are Scarlett, Summer and Saskia - who are currently dominating London's West End.
"My sisters and I are very good at supporting each other in the hard times and saying: 'You're amazing, you're going to be great, people love you, and you're going to work again – it's fine.’ I think people think that we work all the time, but it's not the case. Everyone in this industry has times when they're not working, and you feel as though you're never going to work again," Zizi explains.
© Getty ImagesThe actress added: "On the flip side, we're also good at keeping each other grounded. When I got this job, they all texted me saying: 'We're going to call you Linda instead of Glinda,' because I was the Temu version of Glinda."
And even Zizi's royal encounters come with a hilarious reaction from her sisters, she explains, discussing the first time she met Kate ahead of the Royal Variety Performance in 2019.
© Dave Benett/Getty Images"My sisters take the mickey out of me for this, because there’s a video of me meeting Kate at the Royal Variety Performance in 2019; I'm dressed as Mary Poppins, and as she walks away, I do the most awkward little-girl wave. I was bowled over by how tall, statuesque and stunning she was, and she and William were so normal."
To read the full interview with Zizi ahead of Wicked's 20th anniversary in the West End, join HELLO!'s VIP club for instant access to the magazine on your digital device. The print magazine is available on newsstands now.
