The celebrities and sporting stars you never knew studied at Teesside University

Teesside University has an unusually wide alumni list stretching from Hollywood to elite sport, with nine notable names tied to the North East institution. The roundup includes actor Jamie Dornan, who enrolled in marketing but left for acting full-time, swapping Teesside for London in 2002. It also covers England Lioness and Manchester City forward Beth Mead, who studied BA (Hons) Sports Development and graduated in 2016, later winning Euro 2022 and BBC Sports Personality of the Year. Other alumni highlighted are swimmer Aimee Willmott, Skunk Anansie frontwoman Deborah Dyer (Skin), barrister and former Solicitor General Vera Baird, and Olympic bronze medalist Chris Newton, plus additional figures mentioned in the article.