The Familiar Face Behind the Festive Feeling
This year's highly anticipated John Lewis Christmas advertisement has arrived, bringing with it a wave of festive emotion centred on a touching relationship between a father and son. Released on Tuesday, the commercial not only features the iconic 90s club anthem Where Love Lives by Alison Limerick and a new slowed-down version by Labrinth but also showcases a remarkably familiar face from British television: the actress Cordelia Bugeja.
Playing the mother of the teenage boy who gifts his father a vinyl record—a present that magically transports the dad back to his youthful partying days—Bugeja is arguably one of the most recognisable faces on British TV that many viewers have never been able to name. Her extensive career, spanning decades, makes her appearance a delightful surprise for those in the know.
From Screen Star to Reflexology Specialist
Cordelia Bugeja, a 49-year-old actress born in Sussex, boasts an impressive CV packed with commercials, TV series, and film appearances. Her journey in front of the camera began in 1993 with her first television role in the children's ITV drama Eye of the Storm, where she played the lead role opposite Bill Nighy.
That same year, she starred in the ITV sitcom Conjugal Rites as the on-screen daughter of a middle-aged couple played by Gwen Taylor and Michael Williams. This launched an era of regular cameo roles in some of Britain's biggest television shows.
Throughout her career, Bugeja has appeared in EastEnders, The Bill, BBC's Doctors, Silent Witness, Agatha Christie's Poirot, Hustle, and Holby City. She also dipped into comedy, with roles in Lee Mack's Not Going Out, The IT Crowd, and The Trip. Her film credits include the 2001 German slasher The Pool and Guy Ritchie's 2017 blockbuster King Arthur: Legend of the Sword.
Away from the acting world, Bugeja is a qualified reflexologist and runs her own company in London. She trained in maternity reflexology after the birth of her daughter, Dusty, now seven, and later specialised in fertility treatments, pregnancy massage, and baby reflexology. Her business operates alongside her enduring acting career.
Life Beyond the Advert: Recent Projects and Family
Beyond the John Lewis advert, Cordelia Bugeja remains active in the industry. She recently played Lady Edwina Mountbatten in the Netflix drama Freedom at Midnight and had a part in the Prime Video romcom Picture This alongside Ted Lasso star Phil Dunster.
On social media, her Instagram bio reads, 'Life's too short for margarine, bad books & sh*tty people,' where she shares glimpses of her career and promotes the work of her acting friends. She is a mother to her daughter, Dusty, and has posted about the girl's father, Ant Ciavarrella, who runs a London hospitality recruitment firm called Ruckus. It is not publicly known if they are still together.
With such a diverse and prolific career, Cordelia Bugeja truly embodies the spirit of a working British actress, seamlessly moving between major adverts, beloved TV shows, and her own entrepreneurial ventures, making her the perfect, heartfelt addition to this year's John Lewis Christmas campaign.
