Six celebrities you may not realise have links to mid Wales and the borders

Famous people such as actors and musicians have either grown up in the area or have been drawn to the stunning scenery of mid Wales and the borders.

If there are any we have missed, let us know on Facebook or Twitter, or email news@countytimes.co.uk

Salman Rushdie

Salman Rushdie Picture Rachel Eliza Griffiths

Award-winning author Sir Salman Rushdie revealed in a recent memoir that he went into hiding in a remote farm in Powys after receiving death threats over his novel The Satanic Verses.

He spent time in safe houses in Wales after a fatwa (death sentence) was issued by Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini in 1989 over a reference to the prophet Mohammad.

One of Rushdie's safe houses is believed to be a cottage in the Knighton area that was owned by his former agent Deborah Rogers.

His memoir also revealed that he used a bed and breakfast establishment run by a former police office during more than a decade in hiding.

Adam Woodyatt

WARNING: Embargoed for publication until 07/07/2015 - Programme Name: EastEnders - TX: 17/07/2015 - Episode: 5104 (No. n/a) - Picture Shows: Ian and Jane are shocked to see the police. Jane Beale (LAURIE BRETT), Ian Beale (ADAM WOODYATT) - (C) BBC -

Actor Adam Woodyatt, best known as Eastenders' Ian Beale, lived in the Llanidloes area as a teenager.

He was a pupil at Llanidloes High School and a butcher at the town's Kwik Save before joining the cast of the popular BBC soap opera in the 1980s.

Woodyatt is the longest-serving actor on Eastenders after appearing as the well-known character of Ian Beale since the show's first episode more than 36 years ago.

He was awarded a Lifetime Achievement award at the British Soap Awards in 2013.

Robert Plant

Three Gates Farm - Rhythm Tree Festival 2019 - Saving Grace with Robert Plant.

Rock legend Robert Plant knows and loves the mid Wales and south Shropshire countryside which has inspired one of the most famous songs of all time.

Parts of the Led Zeppelin hit Stairway To Heaven was said to have been written at Bron Yr Aur, a remote cottage in the hills surrounding Corris, near Machynlleth which was owned by Plant’s family.

The singer previously told The Sun that the Welsh Borders inspired his 11th solo album Carry Fire.

He said: "My latest contributions were conceived along those rivers on the Welsh borders, the Arrow, the Lugg and the Teme. Those places unlock me, open me up."

In 2019, he played a fundraising gig at Bishop's Castle’s SpArC theatre after he heard its future was under threat.

Ellie Goulding

PA photo of Ellie Goulding arriving at the Brit Awards 2020. See PA Feature SHOWBIZ Music Ellie Goulding. Picture credit should read: .Ian West/PA. WARNING: This picture must only be used to accompany PA Feature SHOWBIZ Music Ellie Goulding..

Pop star Ellie Goulding grew up and went to school near a town on the Powys-Herefordshire border.

The chart-topping songwriter was brought up in Lyonshall and was a pupil at Lady Hawkins' School in Kington.

She said growing up along the Welsh Borders instilled in her a love of nature, she told the One Young World international environment summit in 2019.

Since her first single debuted on Radio 1 in 2009, Ellie has won two Brit Awards and a Grammy Award nomination.

The 34-year-old announced in January that she is pregnant with her first child.

Professor Neil Ferguson

Professor Neil Ferguson, of Imperial College London, speaking by video link to the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee. PA Photo. Picture date: Wednesday June 10, 2020. See PA story HEALTH Coronavirus. Photo credit should read: Parliament

Trefeglwys-raised Professor Neil Ferguson was a key advisor to the government on the coronavirus outbreak.

The 53-year-old is a leading coronavirus expert who has been credited for convincing Prime Minister Boris Johnson to place a lockdown in order to slow the spread of the virus in the UK.

Professor Ferguson went to the village primary school and attended Llanidloes High School. Former classmates and neighbours remember him as "super clever" and have praised him for his "amazing work".

He still has family who live in Trefeglwys.

Terry Jones

File photo dated 28/09/00 of former Monty Python star Terry Jones attending the official launch of Messiah Pictures, a British film company of which he was a director, at the Cafe de Paris in London. The actor and comedian, who had dementia, has died at

Monty Python star Terry Jones had a home in the Staylittle area and would frequently visit the local town of Llanidloes.

The Welsh comedian and actor was also a regular at Y Star Inn, in Dylife, and “loved” spending time in the area.

Locals described him as a “very down to earth” person who would do talks about medieval history at Staylittle Community Hall.

Jones directed some of Monty Python's most-loved works, including ‘Life Of Brian’.

In 2016, it was announced that Jones had been diagnosed with dementia. He sadly died in January 2020.