From sports stars to TV personalities and musicians to local heroes, the Black Cats have a number of famous fans – including some surprising and international names. Over the years, we have seen many celebrities come out and publicly announce their support of the Wearside club. Here, we take a look at the famous faces who support Sunderland:
. Billy Hardy
Sunderland-born Billy Hardy is a former bantamweight and featherweight boxing champion. Unfortunately, Hardy never captured a world title but did fight all-time great Prince Naseem Hamed in a high-profile bout. Photo: Mark Thompson
. Paul Collingwood
The England cricket star-turned-coach was born in County Durham and has been a long-standing supporter of the Black Cats. Photo: Gareth Copley
. Tom A Smith
The young up-and-coming musician recently played on the pitch at the Stadium of Light at half-time and is receiving rave reviews for his music, regularly appearing on the BBC. His music is available on YouTube, Apple Music and Spotify. Photo: YouTube
. Steve Cram
Known as the 'Jarrow Arrow', Cram is an avid Sunderland fan - and regularly supports the club's charity arm, the Foundation of Light. Photo: Ian Walton
![The football manager, who went onto take charge at the Stadium of Light later in his career, was a Sunderland fan growing up. He recently stated: "I was growing up as a kid, don’t know where it came from probably because Charlie Hurley played for them, I was a big Sunderland fanatic. So I went to Sunderland as a manager based on this romantic notion of where Sunderland were based, the crowds that they got at the old stadium, which was Roker Park. They’d not moved to the Stadium of Light when I was up there [as a fan]. This idea that ‘do you want Sunderland to be all the things when you were supporting them’ that they never were."](https://www.sunderlandecho.com/webimg/b25lY21zOjBlNzdiODY1LTcyNzMtNDY1Yi1hNjdlLTU0OGRhYjNiMWJjNjozMWIwZTY3Yi0zYTM2LTQ5ODEtODhjYi0zOGUzYmVmZDA2MmQ=.jpg?crop=3:2&trim=&width=640)
. Martin O'Neill
The football manager, who went onto take charge at the Stadium of Light later in his career, was a Sunderland fan growing up. He recently stated: "I was growing up as a kid, don’t know where it came from probably because Charlie Hurley played for them, I was a big Sunderland fanatic. So I went to Sunderland as a manager based on this romantic notion of where Sunderland were based, the crowds that they got at the old stadium, which was Roker Park. They’d not moved to the Stadium of Light when I was up there [as a fan]. This idea that ‘do you want Sunderland to be all the things when you were supporting them’ that they never were." Photo: Ross Kinnaird
. Peter O'Toole
Peter O’Toole was in fact a Sunderland fan. Renowned for his portrayal of T.E Lawrence in Lawrence of Arabia, the London-born actor holds the record for the most Academy Award nominations without winning the award. O’Toole became a Black Cats supporter through his father who worked as a labourer in the city. However, the actor sadly passed away in December 2013. Photo: Robert Mora
. Sir Tim Rice
Best known for working on a number of West End musicals with Andrew Lloyd Webber, Rice may have been born in Warwickshire - but he counts Sunderland as his football team. Photo: Daniel Berehulak
. Tony Jeffries
A real hometown hero, Jeffries even signed his first professional boxing contract at the Stadium of Light - having won a medal at the 2008 Olympics. Photo: Matthew Lewis
. Josh Kelly
The former Rio 2016 Olympic boxer is a big Sunderland fan. Photo: Christopher Lee
. Kate Adie
Raised in Sunderland, the former BBC chief correspondent grew up following the Black Cats - and remains a supporter to this day. Photo: KIRSTY O'CONNOR
. Chris Hughes
The Love Island star (left) declared his love for Sunderland on social media - claiming the club 'chose him' at the age of three. Photo: Jeff Spicer
. Melanie Hill
Born in Sunderland, Hill remains an avid supporter of her local team, and regularly attends games. Photo: Ian Gavan
. Dave Stewart
Stewart is best known for Eurythmics, his musical partnership with Annie Lennox, and is one of the most famous names to hail from Sunderland. He's a big supporter of the Black Cats, too. Photo: Kevin Winter
. Jordan Henderson
The Sunderland-born Liverpool captain is a big Black Cats fan having risen through the club's academy. The England international was spotted in the crowd amongst Sunderland supporters as the Wearsiders lost the Capital One Cup final to Manchester City back in 2014. Photo: Laurence Griffiths
. Charlotte Crosby
Despite finding fame in Tyneside based show 'Geordie Shore', Charlotte Crosby appears to be a Sunderland fan judging from her historic Twitter posts... which are somewhat unflattering towards a certain Alan Shearer! Photo: John Phillips
5. Martin O'Neill
The football manager, who went onto take charge at the Stadium of Light later in his career, was a Sunderland fan growing up. He recently stated: "I was growing up as a kid, don’t know where it came from probably because Charlie Hurley played for them, I was a big Sunderland fanatic. So I went to Sunderland as a manager based on this romantic notion of where Sunderland were based, the crowds that they got at the old stadium, which was Roker Park. They’d not moved to the Stadium of Light when I was up there [as a fan]. This idea that ‘do you want Sunderland to be all the things when you were supporting them’ that they never were." Photo: Ross Kinnaird
6. Peter O'Toole
Peter O’Toole was in fact a Sunderland fan. Renowned for his portrayal of T.E Lawrence in Lawrence of Arabia, the London-born actor holds the record for the most Academy Award nominations without winning the award. O’Toole became a Black Cats supporter through his father who worked as a labourer in the city. However, the actor sadly passed away in December 2013. Photo: Robert Mora
7. Sir Tim Rice
Best known for working on a number of West End musicals with Andrew Lloyd Webber, Rice may have been born in Warwickshire - but he counts Sunderland as his football team. Photo: Daniel Berehulak
8. Tony Jeffries
A real hometown hero, Jeffries even signed his first professional boxing contract at the Stadium of Light - having won a medal at the 2008 Olympics. Photo: Matthew Lewis