Tom Holland Remembers Late Dog Tessa: 'Missing My Lady'

Actor Tom Holland recently shared his grief over the loss of his beloved dog, Tessa, who passed away in March. On April 21, the Spider-Man: No Way Home star took to social media to mourn the loss of his cherished canine companion. Originally brought to Tom’s family as a puppy in 2014, Tessa was a blue Staffordshire Bull Terrier. The pup stayed at Holland’s side as he climbed to stardom. Holland even took her along to a 2017 Spider-Man: Homecoming press conference in London.

Tom Holland posted an adorable picture of the dog on Instagram with the caption, “Missing my lady.”

Tom’s father, writer Dom Holland, disclosed that the family memorialised Tessa by planting a tree in their front garden and scattering her ashes. In a blog post earlier this month, he stated, “Not so much an obituary — but more an insight into the final lap of the life of a remarkable little dog who had come to dominate my family — indeed, she was the only Holland who everyone loved all of the time.”

Tessa grew up alongside Tom’s three younger brothers, Harry, 25, Sam, 25, and Paddy, 19, as well as his parents, Dom and Nikki Holland.

In July 2014, he posted a picture of the dog with her head resting on his shoulder on Instagram with the hashtag #staffs. “I would like to introduce to everyone little Tess. The newest member of the family.”

After Tessa joined him at the June 2017 event, the English actor told TIME, “I love her, she is an angel.” He continued by saying that it is untrue that Staffies are thought to be extremely dangerous dogs. He described his dog as the “sweetest, most angelic thing you’ll ever meet” and said that they are not hostile.

He clarified that he had intended to take her to a press conference for a long time, which is why he had brought her along. Holland claims that she initially fled from the cameras because she was so afraid of them, but that she later returned and had a great time.

Tom explained on The One Show in 2022 that if he’s in London, she’ll come to set. He recounted shooting a film called The Current War with Benedict Cumberbatch, a serious movie about the invention of the light bulb. They were filming a sequence supposed to be in a field, but it was shot on a sound stage, where Benedict was to deliver a speech to about 100 extras.

Tom continued, noting Tessa’s exceptional behaviour on set. He observed that Tessa was remarkably well-behaved, never barking or making noise. However, during a particularly emotional scene with Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom realised that Tessa might have a hay intolerance. He described how she sneezed uncontrollably, reminiscent of dogs sneezing with every fibre of their body.

Benedict was seen attempting to maintain his composure, as per Holland, until the point where he asked, “Can someone please take that dog out?” After Tom apologised to Cumberbatch, Tessa stopped sneezing.