A whole host of famous faces were spotted visiting Wales in 2022 and with gorgeous coastlines, stunning countryside, and amazing mountains, it is no surprise that stars have been flocking to our little country.
Whether it be Hollywood actors, Love Island celebs, rock stars and even royalty, Cymru has welcomed them all. And while some of them have been here for work reasons - from filming hit television shows to performing sold out gigs - many have been visiting for pleasure and taking a holiday in God's own country.
We've taken a look back at some of the famous faces that have been in Wales over the past 12 months and the reasons why they were here. You can get more local news and other story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.
READ MORE: The celebrities living quiet lives in Wales who you might catch having a pint down the pub
Danny Drinkwater
Former Premier League and Chelsea FC footballer Danny Drinkwater enjoyed hiking in Wales. He posted to his Instagram pictures of him climbing Pen y Fan in the Brecon Beacons.
Rhys Stephenson
Children's TV presenter Rhys Stephenson, who appeared on the 2021 series of Strictly Come Dancing, saw in the New Year in Wales. He visited Tenby with his friends and said the break was exactly what he needed before heading out on the Strictly Come Dancing tour.
Henry Cavill
The Witcher star Henry Cavill was spotted filming for the hit Netflix series at Gower's Three Cliffs Bay. He also enjoyed chatting to fans while in the area.
Liberty Poole
Former Love Islander Liberty Poole, who also took part in Dancing On Ice, enjoyed a girly getaway in Wales. The star stayed in a stunning underground house in Rhayader.
Amy Dowden
Welsh Strictly Come Dancing Star Amy Dowden is from Caerphilly and regularly returns home to visit Wales. Recently she has enjoyed a night out in Cardiff for her hen do for her fast-approaching wedding. You can read more about Amy's wedding here.
Giovanna Fletcher
The first-ever winner of I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! which was set and filmed in Wales, Giovanna Fletcher has returned to Wales in 2022. Giovanna spent a lot of time at Gwrych Castle in north Wales in 2020 which was the home to I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here!
In 2022, Giovanna returned to Wales to trek along the Pembrokeshire coast, raising money for CoppaFeel. She was also joined by Amy for part of the route.
Duke and Duchess of Cambridge
Wales has enjoyed a royal visit in 2022 by William and Kate, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. To celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee the Cambridges and their two oldest children, George and Charlotte, visited Cardiff. You can see the best pictures from their visit here.
Joe Wicks
Fitness guru Joe Wicks visited Cardiff in May, 2022, as he ran 5km around Cardiff Bay. He encouraged members of the public to join him and it was not the first time Joe had visited Wales to encourage people to run.
Dr Alex George
Former Welsh Love Islander Dr Alex George came under fire when he visited Wales in 2022. The A&E doctor turned reality TV star visited Wales to buy four holiday cottages in Pembrokeshire. He announced the news on his social media where many criticised his decision to turn the cottages into holiday homes.
Nicholas Braun
Nicholas Braun from the Emmy Award-winning television show Succession visited Wales in 2022. He enjoyed the sun in Conwy and is starring next to actress and daughter of Welsh singer Aled Jones, Emilia Jones, in an upcoming American psychological thriller called Cat Person.
Jake Cornish
Former Love Islander Jake Cornish, who was in a relationship with Liberty Poole, also visited Wales. He spent the night partying at Bella's Bar, a cocktail bar in Swansea.
Alex Jones
Another Welsh star to enjoy a trip home in 2022 is TV presenter Alex Jones. She shared pictures to her Instagram of her and her family enjoying the typical Welsh weather, as she holidayed in Llandovery, Camarthenshire.
Larry Lamb and Alison Steadman
Sadly it is not the return of Gavin and Stacey as Larry Lamb and Alison Steadman were spotted filming at the iconic Barry Island. It is believed they were filming for a different show and it was clear they enjoyed being back in south Wales.
Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney
Hollywood actors and owners of Wrexham AFC, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, visited Wrexham in December alongside The King and The Queen Consort to formally confer city status for the town and visit their football club. Wrexham is now Wales' seventh city, joining Bangor, Cardiff, Newport, St Davids, St Asaph and Swansea.
Rob McElhenney was also in Wales in October when he was reduced to tears in a Welsh pub when fans sang his name. In town to watch Wrexham's 1-1 draw against Boreham Wood last weekend, McElhenney joined fans for hours in The Turf pub next to the Racecourse Ground afterwards and watched a live performance from a local band.
King Charles & Camilla Queen consort
King Charles visited Wales in September with his wife, now Camilla Queen Consort, as part of their tour of the UK after the death of his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II. The couple attended a service of prayer and reflection at Llandaff Cathedral, received condolences at the Welsh Parliament and met members of the Senedd, and visited Cardiff Castle where the King held a private audience with Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford and the presiding officer before attending a reception hosted by the Welsh Government.
In December the pair visited Wrexham as the town was given city status. King Charles and Queen Camilla met Wrexham AFC's new Hollywood co-owners, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, as they spoke to the actors and learned about the football club's redevelopment.
They also visited St Giles' Church, where King Charles formally marked the conferral of city status, during which, he said: “As you celebrate your new-found status for this very special part of the world, nothing could give me greater pleasure than to say llongyfarchiadau and to wish you every possible success for the future.”
Olly Murs
Hundreds of fans queued outside Cardiff’s HMV store to see Olly Murs in December who was promoting his new album, Marry Me. He returns in April, 2023 to perform his new tour, which has two dates set in Cardiff.
On a WalesOnline Facebook Live, Olly Murs reminisced about his previous times in the city. He said: “I love it in Cardiff. It’s funny, just as we parked the car up in the NCP, [I remembered] we had some great nights out here. We had our end of tour party at TigerTiger - it was carnage."
Tyson Fury
Two-time world heavyweight champion of the world Tyson Fury was spotted out and about in Pontyclun in August to the delight of locals. Posting a photo of the scene, one Twitter user said: "Tyson Fury being spotted having a tops off party outside Pontyclun Domino’s has made my day."
Ncuti Gatwa
Filming has begun for the new Doctor Who series in Wales, staring Sex Education's Ncuti Gatwa as the fifteenth Doctor and Corrie's Millie Gibson as his companion. The much-loved television show has returned to south Wales once again and fans have recently spotted the crew at work.
On Friday, December 16, and Saturday, December 17, filming for the new series with Ncuti and Millie took place at at Cardiff Bay Barrage. The new Doctor and his companion also filmed a video of themselves at a car park at Alexandra Head, by the Barrage.
Stacey Solomon
Loose Women star Stacey Solomon and cleaning internet sensation Sophie Hinch, also known as Mrs Hinch, were filimg together in Wales. Describing their trip to Wales as "beautiful" the pair appear to have loved their time here.
Posting to her Instagram story, Stacey informed fans she would be "back and forth" to Wales and gushed about working with her friend as she films for her BBC series, Sort Your Life Out. She said: "I'll be back and forth to Wales for the next week for the last episode of Sort Your Life Out. So grateful I get to do it with a special friend this time."
David Hasselhoff
David Hasselhoff was spotted on The Hayes in Cardiff earlier this year joining a well-known local busker for a lovely rendition of a Tom Jones classic. The Hoff shared a video on social media of him joining the singer, known in Cardiff as 'Delboy', for a singalong of Green, Green Grass of Home. Sharing the clip on Instagram, the Hoff wrote: "Having a great time in Cardiff. Saw this guy... The Welsh love to sing."
Top Gear presenters - Paddy McGuinness, Chris Harris and Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff
The Top Gear team couldn't stop marvelling at the “magic” of the Welsh countryside in June. Paddy McGuinness, Chris Harris and Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff drove alongside each other as they attempted to find out what it takes to be an HGV driver. Setting off on an adventure that took them across the United Kingdom, the group eventually found themselves in the Brecon Beacons in Wales. The team were also spotted filming the series in Llanelli earlier this year.
Asa Butterfield
Star of the hit Netflix show, Sex Education, Asa Butterfield was spotted enjoying spending part of his summer in Wales. In an Instagram post captioned: "A big, steaming, summer dump" Asa can be seen enjoying a ball game with two others on North Tenby Beach with the picturesque Tenby seafront in the background. Other photos he has posted include him relaxing in a house with a pool, in a pub, and enjoying a waterslide.
Melissa Joan Hart
Melissa, best known for playing Sabrina the Teenage Witch from 1996 to 2003, visited Wales in August for Comic Con. She has visited Wales before and was spotted in Wales in 2017 and this year expressed her love for the country on her Instagram.
Posting a picture of Cardiff Bay and St David's shopping centre, Melissa also used Welsh in her caption and said being back in Wales "fills my heart with joy". She said: "Perfect night in Cardiff. Being back here just fills my heart with joy. #cymru #cwtch"
Marco Pierre White
World-renowned chef Marco Pierre White shocked the owners of a restaurant near Tenby when he popped in for Sunday lunch in September. White is often spotted in Wales as he has a restaurant in Swansea.
Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper was pictured enjoying a round of golf in Langland Bay Golf Club ahead of his sell-out show in Swansea Arena. The Rock n Roll Hall of Famer took to the stage on May 23 but spent a large part of his day taking in breathtaking views from "the pebble beach of Wales".
John Bishop
The Liverpudlian funnyman was spotted in various different parts of Swansea ahead of his show at Swansea Arena in March, to the delight of fans who made the most of the opportunity to have a quick conversation with the star and take a selfie. He was spotted at the LC2 and The Anchor restaurant.
Paige Thorne and Adam Collard
Love Island stars Paige Thorne and Adam Collard were out and about enjoying all the city had to offer throughout the day on Tuesday, August 9 as Paige took her former partner around her hometown.
They were photographed enjoying a Joe's ice cream in Mumbles, and then later on, were spotted swapping Casa Amor for Castellamare, where they tucked into some bowls of pasta. The restaurant said it was "a pleasure" to host them and that 24-year-old Swansea paramedic Paige said it was "her favourite spot." They were later seen enjoying more ice cream, this time from GGs Gelato, at the Coast cafe.
Chris Kamara
Ninja Warrior UK co-presenter Chris Kamara visited Swansea earlier this year to open the city's new adventure park. The 24,000 square foot indoor facility boasts obstacles to climb, balance, jump and swing across, as well as the famous Warped Wall
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