Olivia Colman reveals she keeps her Oscar hidden behind a book on a shelf because she thinks it’s ‘showy offy’ to have statuette on display

The beloved British icon was bestowed with the most prestigious acting award in 2019, when she won the Academy Award for Best Actress.

But six years after scoring the coveted trophy and Olivia Colman has revealed that rather than give the Oscar pride of place in her home, she keeps it hidden on a bookshelf.

The acclaimed actress, 51, scooped the gong for her performance as Queen Anne in The Favourite, giving a memorably tearful and hilarious acceptance speech that began: ‘I used to work as a cleaner and I spent quite a lot of my time imagining this.’

However, during her appearance on The Great Christmas Bake Off on Boxing Day, the star confessed that she didn’t have the golden statuette on display because she feared it was ‘showy-offy’.

The Channel 4 series’ festive episode was a Peep Show special, reuniting Olivia with her castmates from the fan-favourite sitcom – David Mitchell (Mark), Matt King (Super Hans), Isy Suttie (Dobby) and Sophie Winkleman (Big Suze).

While the show saw the pals catching up and reminiscing about their time on the comedy – which ran from 2003 to 2015 – host Alison Hammond was keen to ask about the whereabouts of Olivia’s Oscar.

The Crown star confessed: ‘It’s now on a bookshelf, but hidden behind a book’, stunning Alison.

In response to why she hid the famous prize, a humble Olivia candidly explained: ‘Because I think it’s a bit showy-offy’, as Alison admitted: ‘I would literally have them on display outside my house.

However, the Broadchurch star later revealed that she didn’t feel the same way about all her incredible accolades, vowing to proudly show off her Bake Off trophy.

Olivia came out on top in the tent after baking her way to victory with her stained-glass biscuits, technical turkey pie and apple and cinnamon cake show-stopper.

After being announced as the champion and being presented with the prized festive plate, Paul quipped: ‘Just move all the Oscars and everything else and put that up.’

But the actress insisted: ‘I will! This will be the only one I have on display.’

The mother-of-three previously confessed that her Oscar had only been on display in her house for a year, before being hidden inside a cupboard.

During an appearance on the Graham Norton Show in December 2022, host Graham asked her: ‘Where’s your Oscar Olivia – where do you keep it?’

A sheepish Olivia revealed: ‘It’s in the cupboard’, as Graham questioned: ‘Is there a glass front of the cupboard?’

However, the star replied: ‘No, it feels a bit ostentatious to have it out. So I have it in the cupboard so I can go, “Hello!”‘

She went on: ‘It should be out. It was out for the first year, but I think then after that you should crack on, forget it happened and keep working.’

However, earlier this year Olivia explained she’d had to move the little golden figure to the bookshelf after discovering the cupboard where she kept it was damp.

Speaking on the SmartLess podcast in August, The Father star confessed that her handyman had been the one to rescue the trophy.

She recalled: ‘I don’t have anything out on show at home… I find it a little bit showy-offy. It was in a cupboard in our sitting room, but we’ve discovered the cupboard’s a bit damp.

‘We live in a very old house – the front of it is 1600 – so it’s pretty but it is a bit damp. And our lovely Darren – who’s a carpenter, handyman, painter – he opened the cupboard and went, “Are you f***ing kidding? You know it’s damp in here?” 

‘So he made me take it out and I’ve now got it on a bookshelf, but behind a book, so that I know it’s there and I can say “Hello” to him.’