She’s the quintessentially British actress who was catapulted to global fame in The White Lotus.
Those credentials led Marks and Spencer bosses to woo Aimee Lou Wood into being the star of their Christmas advert.
Indeed, they were initially thrilled when they signed her, and in August, despite sizzling temperatures, she threw on her winter clothes for a festive photoshoot in the Hertfordshire town of Hatfield.
Executives at the retailer were, sources there say, ‘clinking champagne glasses’ at their hiring – confidentially believing that they had outdone their rivals John Lewis, Waitrose and Sainsbury’s.
It was, insiders insist, Ms Wood’s distinctive gap in her front teeth that made the chain’s chiefs warm to her.
Only now, the Daily Mail can reveal, Ms Wood, 31, has been dumped by Marks after it decided to take the campaign in a different direction by using several different social media clips instead.
The retailer said it wanted to move away from the traditional single television advert and make its campaign more ‘product-focused’.
Last night a spokesman for Marks and Spencer said: ‘We really enjoyed working with Aimee Lou Wood during the early stages of this year’s Christmas campaign – she brought great energy and creativity to the process.
Actress Aimee Lou Woos was expected to be the face of the M&S Christmas campaign but the Daily Mail can reveal, Ms Wood, 31, has been dumped by Marks after it decided to take the campaign in a different direction
The Mail revealed earlier this year that the White Lotus star had been offered a ‘lucrative’ sum to star in the advert but now insiders say her absence is nothing if not mysterious
‘As the campaign evolved, we started to embed a new product-focused strategy under new leadership.
‘So, rather than a single-hero advert, the campaign was reshaped around a series of festive films and influencer content-drops aligned to key seasonal shopping moments – from gifting and hosting to partywear – delivered through a social-first, multi-channel approach across social media, digital, out-of-home and print.’
The Mail revealed earlier this year that Ms Wood had been offered a ‘lucrative’ sum to star in the advert but now insiders say her absence is nothing if not mysterious.
Those involved with filming the advert note that it was ‘all top secret’ and that the decision to drop her is ‘baffling’.
‘We are told it’s a change of direction, but why would you drop a Hollywood star?’ asked one associate behind the ad.
Ms Wood, the Stockport-born actress who first found fame in Netflix’s comedy drama Sex Education, before portraying ditzy Chelsea in the third series of the Sky Atlantic drama last year, signed a deal to lead the ad in the summer.
Dawn French is the face of the M&S food advert this year
She later became embroiled in a fascinating saga over whether she had fallen out with her White Lotus co-star Walton Goggins which gripped its millions of viewers across the world.
Rumours of a feud between her and Goggins – who portrayed her older love interest Rick – began after fans noticed that he had unfollowed her on Instagram. This year’s abandoned TV advert was certainly due to be glitzier than in 2024 when British comic actor Dawn French reprised her role as the M&S Christmas fairy, and also appeared as herself.
This year Ms French is the face of its food adverts.
In 2023, Marks and Spencer signed Hannah Waddingham, Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Zawe Ashton, while in the past the likes of Holly Willoughby and model David Gandy have appeared. Ms Lou Wood was approached for comment.
