We bet you didn’t know these 10 things about the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky

If you think about the most stressed person in the world then Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky will definitely spring to mind. He has been relentlessly trying to fight a deadly war with Russia and is faced with devastation everyday and death stares him in the face everyday.

But there is a side to the 47-year-old the world doesn’t really know about.

So here are 10 things about Zelenskyy you should know:

1. He won Ukraine’s “Dancing With the Stars”

The year is 2006 and Zelensky is a dancing sensation. He appeared on the very first season of the popular dancing show Dancing With the Stars’ Ukrainian version in 2006.

The Ukrainian president displayed excellent footwork and ballroom dancing – including one routine where the future president and his professional partner are blindfolded.

2. Zelenskyy was a comedian

Zelensky grew up as a native Russian speaker in Kryvyi Rih. He obtained a degree in law from the Kryvyi Rih Institute of Economics, but never practised law and pursued a career in comedy and entertainment. He became a famous comedian both in Ukraine and in Russia, at one point cracking an early gag about none other than Vladimir Putin.

3. Voice of Paddington

Zelensky voiced the lovable bear in both “Paddington” films, with “Paddington” for Ukrainian TV producer StudioCana confirming to The Hollywood Reporter that the Ukrainian president was rather good at his dubbing gig.

4. Zelenskyy – the TV star

Zelensky starred in a popular TV show in Ukraine called “Servant of the People,”. In the show, which aired from 2015 to 2019, Zelensky’s character is an idealistic school teacher who goes on a viral tirade about government corruption and ends up becoming president. How art imitated reality in his case.

5. The producer

He co-founded an entertainment production company, Kvartal 95 Studio, in 2003. Six years later, Zelenskyy co-wrote and starred in the romantic comedy “No Love in the City.”

6. His college sweetheart

Zelensky met Zelenska in college and the rest is history. She switched from studying architecture to writing and became a screenwriter for his production company. The couple have two children, 18-year-old Aleksandra and 9-year-old Kiril.

7. LGBTQIA+ activist

Zelensky has been a very vocal supporter of the LGBTQIA+ community and has fought for their rights in Ukraine – a rare move for a world leader who is embattled in one of the bloodiest wars in history.

8. The Mongolia connection

Before starting elementary school, Zelenskyy lived for four years in the Mongolian city of Erdenet. His father worked as a mining engineer from the mid-1970s to help build a copper mine, applying his abilities in computer science to mining. Zelensky grew up speaking Russian.

9. Landslide victory

Politics was meant for Zelensky. In 2019, he was elected president, defeating incumbent Petro Poroshenko with 73.22% of the vote. A landslide victory for the first Jewish president of Ukraine.

10. Animal lover

Zelensky is an animal lover with the family owning a lot of pets. This includes two dogs, a cat, a parrot, and a guinea pig.