Gary Barlow and more stars' children who shunned showbiz careers
There are many children of celebrities who choose to follow in their footsteps, while some don't
'Nepo babies' are a big talking point in the showbiz industry where celebrities children have decided to follow in their famous parents' footprints – take Kate Moss and daughter Lila Moss, for instance, or David and Victoria Beckham's son Brooklyn.
It's easy to forget about the celebrities whose children have decided to chase their dreams of careers that are not in the showbiz industry.
Over the weekend, Take That singer Gary Barlow revealed his children have decided to take the more "studious" route with their careers rather than showbiz — as he promotes his new TV show Gary Barlow’s Wine Tour: South Africa. The dad has three children Daniel, 24, Emily, 22 and Daisy, 15, with his wife of 25-years Dawn.
He told The Mirror: "The two oldest ones [Daniel and Emily] have kind of gone into medicine and physiology — studying strength and conditioning — and my youngest one, Daisy, I’m not too sure what she’s heading for but again, she’s very studious… unlike me and my wife
"I don’t think they will follow in my music footsteps but I wouldn’t have discouraged them though if they did want to, it’s been a good business for me. Every day I still enjoy what I do and when you realise you’re making a living from it, it’s a great, great place to be. Many roles in ‘showbiz’ are just wonderful, there’s definitely a much harder world out there than the one I’m in I think."
So who are some of celebrities' children who have chosen a very different and perhaps refreshing path to their famous parents?
Bruce Springsteen and his firefighter son Sam
Bruce Springsteen has had a career in the spotlight that has spanned six decades and in that time has got his nickname "The Boss". The musician — who has three children with his wife Patti Scialfa — has previously praised his youngest son Sam's dedication to becoming a firefighter.
In 2014, proud mum Scialfa said her son Sam had graduated from Monmouth County Fire Academy. In 2017, he later took a civil service exam. It was finally in 2020 that Sam was one of 15 sworn in by the mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey.
At the time, Springsteen told WCBS: "It was a long road, he’s very dedicated, quite a few years and we are just excited for him today."
Harrison Ford and his son Ben
Harrison Ford may be a cinematic icon and a leading man in many of our favourite Hollywood films but his eldest child decided to serve up his own dreams.
The Indiana Jones star's eldest son Ben owns and runs restaurant Ford's Filling Station, based out of LAX airport. On his Instagram, he describes himself as an "adventurous chef".
He was born 10 years before Ford got his big break in Star Wars. The chef told CBS that he decided to start out a career in cooking after an injury ruled out baseball.
Robert De Niro and his real estate broker son
Hollywood hardman Robert De Niro may be one of the greatest actors of our time and his first child of seven, Raphael, has made great success himself as a real estate broker for firm Douglas Elliman in New York City.
Raphael established the De Niro team at the firm in 2004 and has since got an average of $250 million in sales every year (according to his website). And while he is not in the entertainment industry himself, Raphael has had some famous clients including: Jon Bon Jovi, Renee Zellweger and Kelly Ripa.
Anna Wintour and her doctor son
Anna Wintour has many celebrity connections thanks to her position as Vogue's editor in chief. However, she previously shared her pride at her son Charles pursuing a career as a doctor — especially during the COVID pandemic.
Back in 2020, she said in a video on Instagram for Vogue: "My son is a doctor." She was talking about her son had been unwell during the pandemic while fighting on the frontline.
She added: "I am so proud of him and so grateful to all the health workers, first responders, nurses and doctors who are fighting to reduce the spread of the virus and to save lives."
While Charles works as a doctor, he has occasionally joined his mum at glamorous red carpet occasions. Meanwhile, Wintour's daughter Bee does work in the entertainment industry.
