People are going to the polling station today to vote for who they want to represent them in the European Parliament.
Photo: PA
So we thought now would be the perfect time to take a look at seven celebrity politicians - they’re primarily celebrities, but achieved a political career through their hard work and dedication to their beliefs and making a difference.
Donald Trump
Donald Trump is probably the most famous person in the world. You’d have to have spent the last 5 years living under a rock if you haven’t heard of him. But even before he became the President of the U.S.A, he was a well known businessman and TV presenter.
Author of The Art of the Deal, host of the show The Apprentice, and real estate owner, Donny had already achieved celebrity status long before he got involved in politics. Becoming the leader of the free world only made him even more famous, and if you didn’t know who he was before, you certainly know who he is now.
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan was the 40th president of the United States, but before that, he was an international superstar.
He was a very famous Hollywood actor, starring in films alongside Bette Davis and Humphrey Bogart. After his huge success in the acting industry, he went on to become Governor of California, between 1967 and 1975.
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Austrian-American actor Arnold Schwarzenegger has dabbled in plenty more than just pretending to be someone he is not. He’s also got filmmaker, businessman, author, philanthropist, bodybuilder, and of course the reason he makes this list - politician - on his CV.
Like Ronald Reagan, Arnold also had a stint as the Governor of California, during the time of 2003-2011.
George Weah
George Weah is the President of Liberia, but he hasn’t always been a famous name for this.
He’s a former footballer, who has played for clubs such as Monaco, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Milan.
Volodymyr Zelensky
A recent newbie to the politics scene, Volodymyr was sworn in as President of Ukraine just this week.
With no history in politics whatsoever, his Presidential win came as quite a shock to a lot of people, nonetheless, he’s now at the top of the Ukrainian game. Before his political career began, he was a celebrity in Ukraine - a comedian and actor. He has a degree in law and created a production company which produces films, cartoons and TV shows.
Jerry Springer
You might only know Jerry Springer for his TV appearances and wild show, the Jerry Springer show. But did you know he’s had a dabble in politics, too?
Unlike a lot of celebrity-turned-politicians, Jerry’s educational background does actually specialise in politics. He achieved a B.A. degree in political science, so his stint in politics is not surprising.
He was elected to the Cincinnati City Council in 1971, but resigned just three years later after he admitted to hiring a prostitute.
Manny Pacquiao
Manny Pacquiao is a Filipino boxer - or he was until he retired and got involved with politics. He’s the senator of the Philippines, along with his history in basketball, business, TV hosting, acting, and music recording.
In 2015, he was named the world’s 2nd highest paid athlete by Forbes.