14 celebrities who failed at school but succeeded in life
These celebs didn't give up!
Last updated 6th May 2022
Some of the world's most famous TV stars, musicians and actors actually made the decision to drop out of school early to pursue their dreams. And whilst a lot of celebrities didn't necessary perform too well in school, their strong attitudes to succeed in life, and determination to get what they wanted, helped them achieve what they have today!
Take a look in the gallery below at all of the famous faces who failed at school, but succeeded in life, and take inspiration from their efforts and achievements.
Celebrities who dropped out of school and found success:
Simon Cowell
Mr Cowell left school having only achieved two O Levels (replaced by GCSEs), but he didn't let that stop him from achieving global success.
Simon is now one of the wealthiest celebrities in the world, despite starting off his career working in a post room at a small record label.
The music mogul now owns his own label, Syco and of course was one of the brains behind the likes of One Direction and Little Mix.
Rihanna
RiRi signed her first record deal at the age of just 16, meaning she left school to focus on making it big in the music industry - and it certainly paid off!
To date, Rihanna has released eight studio albums, with hits like 'Umbrella', 'Diamonds', and Rude Boy', and she's also appeared in a number of successful films.
Rihanna has also made her millions with her Fenty Beauty brand, which she first launched in 2017, and she's officially a billionaire and has been ranked on Forbes' Billionaires list.
Cheryl
It's common knowledge Cheryl wasn't always the sweet Geordie princess we have grown to love and the star left school with very few qualifications.
Determined to embark on a music career, Cheryl won Popstars: The Rivals and went on to achieve global success in Girls Aloud. With various TV roles including her role as a judge on The X Factor and The Greatest Dancer, Cheryl is now worth an estimated £32 million.
Kate Moss
Supermodel Kate Moss didn't even get round to sitting her exams. At the tender age of 14, Kate was signed to a modelling agency and her career took off.
Since then she has established herself as one of the biggest supermodels in the world, modelling for fashion giants including Calvin Klein, she has walked on practically every runway.
Kate, who is now in her late 40s, is worth an estimated £56 million.
Jay Z
American rapper Jay Z is a household name now, but as a youngster, he changed schools frequently and ended up dropping out before graduating.
Of course, that didn't stop him going on to become one of the world's biggest music stars. With hard work and determination, Jay Z, real name Shaun Carter, released his debut album 'Reasonable Doubt' in 1996 and he was the first hip-hop artist to reach billionaire status!
Richard Branson
Billionaire and founder of the Virgin brand, Richard Branson, struggled in school with various learning difficulties but has since flourished and is now one of the most recognised figures in the world of business.
Richard dropped out of school at the age of 16 and set up a student magazine. From there he set up Virgin Records which has now turned into one of the biggest businesses in the world, comprising over 400 companies.
Not to mention the fact he owns an entire tropical island and he's been to space!
Cameron Diaz
Popular actress Cameron Diaz left school at the age of 17 after being offered a modelling contract, despite this not going to plan, Cameron's hard work and determination paid off when she broke into the acting world.
Since then Cameron has starred in some huge films including Bad Teacher, There's Something About Mary and The Other Woman and is now worth an estimated $140 Million.
Dougie Poynter
The McFly man left school at the age of 16 after getting a small number of GSCEs. Dougie focused his skills into songwriting and was in fact writing the band's debut album during his final year at school.
Of course, Dougie went on to achieve huge success with McFly.
Not stopping there, Dougie has also created best-selling children's books with bandmate Tom Fletcher and even owns a couple of fashion labels!
Robbie Williams
Former Take That member Robbie Williams was predicted fantastic grades at school but actually failed every single one.
Not giving up, Robbie focused on his music career and has enjoyed an amazing career both in a group with Take That and as a solo artist.
Robbie also set up his own fashion label called Farrell Clothing and does amazing work for charity.
Whoopi Goldberg
She's now a successful actor, TV presenter, comedian and author, but Whoopi Goldberg had to work hard for her success. The actress dropped out of school and after years of hard work she landed her debut role in 1985 as Celie in The Color Purple.
Since then, Whoopi has become a household name around the world for her work, and now she's worth an estimated $60 million.
Lord Alan Sugar
The business guru and The Apprentice star started his working life at a greengrocers, having left school at the age of 16 with zero qualifications.
Lord Sugar soon used his entrepreneurial skills and turned to selling electronic gadgets, the business soon escalated and now he is worth a staggering £1 billion!
Tom Cruise
Hollywood legend Tom Cruise struggled his way through school with dyslexia but with hard work, the actor got himself into the acting business. The rest, as they say, is history!
Tom has starred in some of the biggest films to hit the big screen including the Mission Impossible franchise and of coruse Top Gun. He is now worth an estimated $600 million.
Chris Rock
He's one of the biggest comedians around now, but Chris Rock actually dropped out of school in tenth grade. As well as a successful comedian, Chris has also appeared in huge movies such as Grown Ups, The Longest Yard and even Madagascar!
Chris is now worth an estimated £48 million.
Eminem
Eminem, real name Marshall Bruce Mathers, has previously opened up about 'failing the ninth grade' three times, before eventually dropping out at the age of 17, admitting he couldn't focus at school because he just wanted to rap.
After leaving school, Eminem worked hard to break into the industry, dropping his debut album in 1996. The rapper went on to enjoy an amazing career across the world, dropping hits like 'Lose Yourself', 'Not Afraid' and 'My Name Is', to name a few.
Eminem is now worth an estimated £185 million.
John Newman
John Newman wasn't allowed to study music at school because his teacher didn't like him, he then went to college to study mechanics and was told he would never be a musician and to give up.
Despite these set backs he went for an audition at a music college and was awarded a scholarship.
Now, John is a very successful singer, songwriter and producer having had nine Number 1s to his name.
You can achieve anything if you work hard and put your mind to it! 🙌
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