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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Entertainment
Lizzie Edmonds

Tom Hardy stuns onlookers at medieval festival by taking part in jousting competition

Revellers at a medieval festival in West Sussex were stunned when Hollywood superstar Tom Hardy turned up and took part in a jousting contest.

The actor, 45, donned a full knight’s outfit – including armour, chainmail and a helmet – as he got involved in the competition after apparently stumbling across the event on Sunday afternoon.

Armed with a sword and a shield, the Venom actor took part in a brutal fight in front of delighted spectators.

People enjoying their day out at The Loxwood Joust took to social media to share a number of photos and videos of the Hollywood actor, who also took the time to pose with many fans.

Tom Hardy at The Loxwood Joust (@tomhardy)

Hardy also posted a number of pictures of his time at the competition on his social media pages.

He wrote on Instagram: “This might have happened today… Random day out in the English countryside nipping to the shops.

“Thanks for the beatings.”

It comes just a few months after Hardy showed off his fighting skills at a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competition in Milton Keynes.

The Venom star got in to character, wearing a full knight’s outfit (@tomhardy)

Once again, the star stunned onlookers when he secretly arranged to take part in the fight at a local school sports hall. He managed to win, taking home a gold medal.

Posting about the jousting event on Sunday, Hardy joked: “Not quite BJJ [Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu] but not bad either.”

Earlier this year, Hardy made a return to CBeebies Bedtime Stories for a special episode marking 75 years of the NHS.

Hardy is known for fighting Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu – a far cry from jousting (@tomhardy)

On Wednesday July 5, the anniversary of the NHS, Hardy’s episode of him reading Zog And The Flying Doctors by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler was aired.

CBeebies recorded six new stories with Hardy, who was filmed in his garden accompanied by his French bulldog Blue.

Mad Max: Fury Road star Hardy first appeared on CBeebies Storytime on New Year’s Eve in 2016.

According to the BBC, his appearances were streamed 2.32 million times on iPlayer, up until the end of May making him one of the most popular stars to take part.

In 2021, Hardy read another book by Donaldson called The Christmas Pine, which aired on Christmas Day.

Other celebrities who have appeared on CBeebies Bedtime Stories include Melissa McCarthy, Chris Hemsworth, Steve Carell, Harry Styles, Ellie Goulding, Kate Winslet and Dolly Parton. The Princess of Wales has also taken part.

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