Celebrities' secret sporting talents: After Jason Statham impressed with his insane diving skills, here are the other stars who have sporty genes - from the Princess of Wales to Tom Holland and Emma Watson

Daily Mail​

27-07-2025

Now famed for being a Hollywood film star with leading roles in films such as Crank, The Expendables, as well as the Fast & Furious franchise, Jason Statham is renowned for performing the role of the hard nut in many a prominent picture.
Away from the bright lights and the big screen, he has another little-known talent in diving, which saw him compete in the sport before he turned to acting.
Statham, now 57, competed for England in the diving competition at the 1990 Commonwealth Games in Auckland.
Last week, he was seen diving in impressive fashion off of his 30ft luxury yacht while on holiday with his family in Positano, Italy.
Indeed, he is not the only famous face to have a secret sporting talent in their armoury.
Read on below for a look at some of the most notorious sports skills among celebrities, including one particular talent possessed by the Princess of Wales.
Jason Statham - diving
Statham's best finish in Auckland was eighth place in the one-metre springboard with a score of 487.26 points.
He also took part in the 3-metre springboard and 10-metre platform, where he finished 11th in both events.
Since his Auckland aquatic appearance, Statham has risen to fame thanks to his performances in films such as Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch, Mean Machine and The Bank Job.
Princess of Wales - hockey
While she has become a global icon and an instantly recognisable face thanks to her royal duties, Catherine, Princess of Wales, is another to possess a little-known sporting talent in her younger days.
Attending Marlborough College as a 14-year-old, then simply Kate Middleton arrived in Wiltshire as a shy and lanky teen, having moved after enduring alleged bullying at her previous school, Downe House in Berkshire.
Yet during her four years at Marlborough the future Princess of Wales blossomed into a beautiful, sought after young woman as well as an accomplished one who excelled at hockey and who would go on to become co-captain of the tennis team.
In fact, unlike her time at Downe House, Kate felt at home from the start of her time at Marlborough, where she joined the school's cosy all-girls boarding house, Elmhurst.
Naturally kind-hearted, she quickly gained a close circle of friends, among them her peers on the hockey team, one of whom accompanied her on a trip to Ibiza to recover from her heartbreak after she briefly broke up with the now-Prince of Wales in 2007.
It was after a hockey tour to Argentina, friends recall – followed by a family trip to the Caribbean - that a then 16-year-old Kate returned to the school sixth form newly transformed.
'She was an absolute beauty,' according to friend Gemma, who says boys now 'fancied her rotten.'
Tom Holland - golf
Next up is another film star whose sporting interests have been far more well-documented than Bradley Cooper's nautical exploits.
Spider-Man superstar Tom Holland has become renowned for his love of golf, even missing last year's Met Gala after he was allegedly hit on the head with a golf ball while playing a round at St Andrews.
Holland, 27, is an extremely talented golfer, playing off a handicap of six while featuring regularly at amateur events.
He competed at the Pro-Am competition of the BMW PGA Championship in September alongside Strictly Come Dancing judge Anton DuBeke and his wife Hannah at the privately owned Wentworth golf club in Surrey.
Holland and his twin brothers Harry and Sam were joined by Englishman Tommy Fleetwood - who finished tied for 16th place at The Open last weekend.
Ronald Reagan - swimming
Best known for being the 40th President of the United States - a post which he held as a Republican between 1981 and 1989 - Ronald Reagan was also a keen athlete
Best known for being the 40th President of the United States - a post which he held as a Republican between 1981 and 1989 - Ronald Reagan was also a keen athlete.
That saw him participate on the American football and basketball teams of Dixon High School in Illinois before also developing a zeal to compete in aquatic sports.
This was after he had worked as a lifeguard for six years Reagan later - during which time he cited as being an extremely valuable experience for what he would go on to achieve in politics.
He said: 'There was the life that shaped my body and mind for years to come.'
After he graduated from high school, Reagan attended Eureka College in southern Illinois, where he received an athletic scholarship to compete as a member of the college's swimming and American football teams.
During his freshman year, he did not lose a single race - and would go on to be the college swimming coach from his second year until he completed his graduation in 1932.
John F. Kennedy - swimming
Swimming was a common interest among 20th century US Presidents, with John F. Kennedy a valued member of Harvard's swimming team while attending the prestigious university from 1936 to 1940.
He was most proficient in backstroke, his efforts helping Harvard to a first-ever swimming victory over Ivy League rivals Yale.
His swimming schools would also prove crucial in his later life, as he went to serve for the US Naval Reserve during World War II.
In 1943, the Motor Torpedo PT-109 was run down by a Japanese destroyer, leaving Kennedy and 11 other men stranded.
Not to be deterred, Kennedy led the men on a swim stretching more than three miles swim to an island where they lived off coconuts and water for almost a week.
In an event that quickly warranted extensive coverage around the world, Kennedy was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for his bravery.
The injuries he suffered during the incident qualified him for a Purple Heart - an award that is given to any American citizen who is wounded or killed while serving in conflict.
George W. Bush - rugby
Completing a trio of Presidents who could more than hold their own in a sporting context is George W. Bush, who was elected for two terms between 2001 and 2009.
While attending Yale between the years of 1964 and 1968, Bush was a member of the college's 1st XV rugby team.
However, he appeared to take matters into his own hands as he was seen delivering an illegal right hook in one match in what was an unsuccessful attempt at stopping one of his opponents.
Having also played during his high school days at Phillips Academy, a private boarding school in Massachussetts, Bush took up the position of fullback for Yale.
He was part of a strong team that helped the Ivy League school to a historic victory over Harvard.
Bush was also praised by his team-mates, including his fellow class of '68 pupil Britt Kollar, who said, per Yale Daily News: ''What's interesting was that he was a good enough athlete that he could play a skill position in rugby with relatively little experience.
'He had running skills, tackling skills and especially kicking skills.'
Emma Watson - hockey
Finishing off with another Hollywood star, we have actress Emma Watson, who was an avid hockey player after perfecting the role of Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter films throughout her youth.
Having taken a break from acting to pursue her studies after the filming of the final Harry Potter films, she attended Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, where hockey was her sport of choice.
Prior to the Women's Hockey World Cup in 2018, Watson attended an event at Thorpe Hall Primary School in Walthamstow, north London, to champion how the sport has been effective at promoting diversity and inclusion among its players.
Acting as an ambassador for the Hockey Futures initiative, she said at the time: 'Hockey was a big part of my life growing up and I'm thrilled that England Hockey are committed to making the sport more accessible to children all over the country through the launch of Hockey Futures.'