Tom Daley’s Crochet Kits vs. Paddy McGuinness’s Yoghurts: Who’s Cashing In?

Clutching a pair of knitting needles and with bundles of brightly coloured wool nestled in his lap, Tom Daley wanted it to be known: he was more than just a diver.

Millions of people watched as the BBC cameras panned to the sportsman while he whipped up a Union Jack medal pouch and a pink dog sweater. Hearts were melted, grannies swooned.

Perhaps he was just a young athlete killing time and assuaging his nerves as he sat on the sidelines at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020 or perhaps he was already lining up his next career move.

Whatever his intentions, it was the perfect-timing: cosy was cool, Covid was in full swing and people liked their celebrities relatable.

Tom Daley, 31, had built himself a whole new brand in the time it takes to do a purl stitch, and what that meant for him was an influx of lucrative endorsement deals.

Just four years later, Daley now retired, and one year on from that, he has his very own knitting company – Made with Love.

In June, Daley, who was one of the first participants to be ‘murdered’ on the new Celebrity Traitors TV show, was announced as ambassador for Woolmark (a wool and fibre company), and last month he revealed a collaboration with Hobbycraft, promoting DIY crochet kits.

The endorsements do not end there. While he might not be a professional sportsman anymore – he bowed out after Paris 2024 – Daley is certainly cashing in on the hobby.

The diver, who rose to fame at just 14 in 2008, is no stranger to brand ad deals and has built much of his name and fortune on them.

He is currently also the face of Malibu’s Don’t Drink and Dive campaign, which features him posing in very small knitted swimming trunks. Last year he was unveiled as Gillette’s new brand ambassador.

Now worth £4million, he has also appeared in adverts for British Gas and was announced, to much fanfare, as make-up brand Rimmel’s first male ambassador in 2022.

He has previously worked for brands including Adidas, Samsung, Argos, Etihad Airways and Royal Caribbean.

But while Daley is making a mint through lending his name, face and body to brands, he is certainly not alone, with some of the biggest names in showbiz – and even those who are not so well known – doing exactly the same.

Many UK celebrities now, whether on social media or through adverts, rely on these deals to make up their salaries – and like, Daley, many millions can be earned from a familiar face touting the brand’s wares.

But who are the discerning stars making prestige deals to bolster their reputations, and who is desperate to sign on the dotted line just to make a quick buck?

David Beckham 

The godfather of all brand endorsement deals, David Beckham, saw profits at his company DRJB Holdings Limited soar by nearly 25 per cent last year.

The company reported a net profit of £35.1million for the year, meaning that his net worth, alongside wife Victoria Beckham, is now at a staggering £500m.

Their impressive fortune is, in part, thanks to his money-spinning deals with prestige brands such as Nespresso, Hugo Boss, eyewear company Safilo, Tempur Mattress, Adidas and Tudor Watches.

In 2024 he partnered with Chinese online retail platform AliExpress, becoming its global ambassador.

Last year he added deals with Stella Artois and SharkNinja air fryers to his portfolio, as well as a new contract with US telecommunications company Verizon over the summer.

His company filings show that he will receive a £25m payout this year thanks to his lucrative deals.

Davina McCall  

A regular on our television screens since the late 1990s, Ms Mcall has had a steady flow of presenting gigs, transitioning from Streetmate to Big Brother to The Masked Singer and Long Lost Family.

Despite having, at times, a tumultuous personal life, McCall, 57, has done a good job of never letting her public persona get derailed and has established herself as a trusted voice, making her a very appealing signing for companies.

Similarly to Beckham, Ms McCall has worked out what it is that she can sell the best, which part of herself she can offer up for consumption: Hair, face and lifestyle.

The presenter has been an ambassador for hair brand Garner since 2004 and is thought to earn £350,000 per year for the endorsement. She is, of course, never seen out and about with anything other than perfectly coiffed, super shiny locks.

While supplement brand Ancient and Brave might not be as famous as Garner, it is a wellness juggernaut, which will have shown you an advert on social media whether you asked for it or not.

And it is Ms McCall’s face selling the company’s True Collagen and True Creatine supplements, which she uses every day and are part of her dedication to total self-care. She has now invested in the company.

Back in April it was announced that Ms McCall was the first official ambassador of Hays Travel and features on its TV adverts, social media posts and on its website.

She also works for nutrition app ZOE, and has been recently been a brand ambassador for clothing company JD Williams, as well as for Lakeland, Millions and Millions, and TUI. 

Dua Lipa 

One person who certainly knows how to turn their popularity into pound coins is 30-year-old pop superstar Dua Lipa.

While the likes of Taylor Swift have shied away from brand endorsements as their fame has skyrocketed, the English singer has gone in the other direction and landed herself some seriously high-end deals.

In 2018 she signed with Jaguar in one of her first major brand collaborations, but in 2023 she shifted gears and partnered with rival Porsche in a seven-figure deal.

Now thought to be worth upwards of £100million, Ms Lipa has also made waves in the fashion world and has been sure to secure high-end ambassadorships at Versace, YSL Beauty and has collaborated with Mugler.

She also has had endorsement deals with Evian, Puma, Pepe Jeans and founded her own culture and lifestyle company Service95 in 2022. 

Katherine Ryan 

The Canadian comedian and honorary Brit, 42, who moved to the UK in 2008, has been beloved on the comedy and panel show circuit for a long time.

But there might be a contingent who recognise her mainly for her appearance in multiple television adverts.

The most prominent of Ms Ryan’s deals, is her partnership with Now TV, which launched in 2023 and features adverts played across televisions and in cinemas.

While some stars struggle to give their all while fulfilling their promotional obligations, Ms Ryan actually went too far in the other direction after signing with meal kit company Gousto.

In fact, earlier this year she was pulled up by Ofcom for being rather too effusive in her praise of the food boxes during an appearance on an episode of Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch.

She has also had brand deals with Wowcher, TK Max, Ariel and Walkers, for which she dressed up as a monster munch on her social media – true dedication.

Paddy McGuinness 

Even though he is thought to have been paid a hefty £250,000 retainer to stay at the BBC last year, it seems it’s not enough for the ubiquitous television and radio presenter.

McGuinness, 52, has negotiated himself a series of lucrative brand deals to top up his salary, the most recent being for holiday specialists On the Beach, appearing in adverts and on billboards.

Last year yoghurt brand Onken also announced a partnership with McGuinness, which included him sharing smoothie recipes on his own Instagram page.

He’s another British TV star to have also worked with Walkers, as well as Jackpot Joy and Pizza Hut.

He signed a six-figure deal with Marks & Spencer in 2019 and has appeared in a number of its glossy adverts including its Christmas campaign that same year, alongside Amanda Holden and Rochelle Humes.

Diane Morgan 

She might not be as big a household name as David Beckham, but she’s got one of the most recognisable voices in showbiz – and she’s been putting it to good use.

While the actress and comedian has more than proved her comedy chops as Liz in the BBC’s beloved Motherland, some might know Ms Morgan’s deadpan Bolton-accent better than they know her face from her comedy creation Philomena Cunk.

Commercial radio listeners will be very used to the actress’ dulcet tones as she appear in numerous adverts.

Not only does she currently voice adverts for bank Capitol One and for RadioCentre – the industry body for commercial radio – she has previously worked for First Direct, Zoopla, The Highway Code, Sky Active and AO.

RITA ORA

She burst onto the music scene with single Hot Right Now in 2012, and looked set to be the next big British pop star.

But things didn’t quite work out like that for the Kosovo-born singer, 34, thanks to a messy record contract dispute with Roc Nation.

What followed was a string of presenting roles, acting bit-parts and, of course, endorsement deals.

While her hard-working agent has managed to secure her high-end campaigns for Calvin Klein, Chanel, Roberto Cavalli, DKNY and Prada, she has also recently cashed in on multi-season deal with Primark.

Despite backlash from fans who have criticised her for partnering with the fast fashion giant, she is still the face of the high street retailer, which saw its profits boom last year.

She has also partnered with Rimmel, Samsung Galaxy, Pepe Jeans, Thomas Sabo, Deichmann, Coca-Cola and Skullcandy.

Ms Ora also had a lucrative contract with EE, which was quietly terminated in 2020 after she was caught preaching lockdown rules by throwing herself a birthday party.

Emma Raducanu   

She had the world at her feet when she won the US Open in 2021 at the tender age of 18, and was touted as the nation’s next sporting great.

And the tennis player certainly capitalised on her surprise success with a series of money-spinning deals with big-name brands immediately after her win.

Brands including Dior, Evian, HCBC, Nike, Wilson, Tiffany & Co, British Airways and Vodafone all clamoured to sign her and she is thought to have made £9million through these deals.

But after crashing out of a number of tournaments due to injury, the sports star now has just a handful remaining, with Vodafone terminating its £3million contract with her earlier this year.

She is still thought to earn £100,000 each from her deal with Nike and Wilson £2million from Dior and Tiffany.

Despite losing in the third round of the US Open back in September, Raducanu has just signed a new brand deal with deodorant brand Wild – a slight downgrade on her brands she landed at the start of her career.

Katie Price  

She was declared bankrupt in 2019 and was faced with a staggering £750,000 tax bill to pay last year, so few could fault the former glamour girl for trying to make a quick buck.

But some of Ms Price’s more recent endorsement deals have raised eyebrows and felt inauthentic, with one even branded ‘irresponsible’ by the Advertising Standards Authority.

She had her Instagram adverts for weight loss aid BoomBod banned after the watchdog ruled ‘it was clear from the ads that the influencer did not need to lose weight in order to achieve a healthy weight’.

She was also pulled up for promoting The Skinny Caffe, another weight loss supplement.

She is currently promoting Supreme CBD oil, Juicy Couture and Marco Matteo eyewear.

At the height of her fame in 2006, Ms Price – also known as alter-ego Jordan – signed a £1.6m three-year partnership with Asda, which included a lingerie brand with George. She also had a jewellery line with Argos and a hair care range with Superdrug.