Have you met a celebrity? What were they like?

[StrictlyProfessional]

Following on from the ' have you met abs infamous criminal' thread. Has anyone met a celebrity (bonus points for really famous) and were they nice?

Moving away from celebrities. People in the public eye.

I’ve met Hilary Benn a couple of times in conjunction with one of my adult children’s work.

You couldn’t wish to meet a nicer man. Polite, respectful and a good listener.

Went out of his way to pay compliments about my child and the job he was doing.

Unlike John Selwyn Gummer. He presented awards at the school I taught at. Came, presented, left. Never bothered to speak to anyone apart from the Head.

A few years previously Keith Joseph had attended a similar event. A little strange but very polite and of us weren’t weren’t in favour of his political viewpoints. He stayed for ages, talked to everyone and as he left sought out the caretaker and spoke to him.

Not recently, but I grew up in an area where lots of celebs also live (near London).

No bad encounters with anyone I ever came across. They are/were just normal people.

In the pub where I worked -
Patrick Mower - friendly
Lewis Collins (from The Professionals, c.1970s) - polite.
Actor from The Bill, can't remember his name - came in with group of friends for drink, quiet, undemanding.

My late DF belonged to a golf club where quite a lot of celebs played - remember him saying how friendly Pauline Quirke's husband was. Also, the late Warren Clarke.

Saw Barbara Windsor one afternoon, out walking her dogs. She smiled and said good afternoon.

Loyd Grossman - in pub having lunch with some friends. Was opposite of screen persona - was quiet and friendly. Said hello to people who recognised him.

As a little kid, on a Sunday afternoon walk with my parents & our dog in woods near Chequers, saw a man walking towards us, with a dog. It was the then PM Edward Heath, no security with him at all (that we could see anyway). Stopped for a chat with my late DF. Was very friendly.

Around 20 years ago - spent about 10 mins chatting to a man & his wife about dogs (was out walking my dog), thinking he looked familiar but assumed he was one of DF's friends. He was chatty & smiley but obvs expected me to recognise him - John Craven. It didn't dawn on me who he was until about 30 mins later!

I have met Jack Whitehall with my son at his gig in 2019. My son was 17 at the time and is autistic and was in awe of him. Jack is actually a very shy man and he seemed really anxious and nervous about meeting his fans. He really took the time to speak to my son. He seems to be very grateful for what he has in life and seems to be an emotional guy too. Very lovely

I'm not - and never will be - a celebrity, but tbh, I can see how extremely tedious and irritating it must be for people to call out to an actor or actress as if they were their character.

I think it's a very rude thing to do, really; yes, they're probably famous because of playing the character, but that doesn't mean they are the character. Catchphrases, possibly, but not addressing them as if they were the character.

I have a very boring, lowly job, but I would also find it phenomenally rude and rather strange if people who knew me (or knew of me) - and knew my actual name - shouted "Oi, shop assistant!" (if that were my job) and expected me to find it endearing and react charmingly.

Very different, I think, if people recognise you, but can't quite place you, and say "Where do I know you from? Do you work on the Boots make-up counter/did you go to St Catherine's high school/do you play Les in Corrie?"

David Tennant invariably comes up in these threads as a thoroughly nice, genuine bloke IRL when people meet him out and about; but as an actor, he's played some really unpleasant people - including an evil serial killer. Lovely chap though David is, I can't imagine him being very happy if people were to shout out "Hey, Dennis!" to him, as if that were who he really were.

Whatever is the point in discussing what famous people are really like, off-camera, if you've only ever treated them as though they were on camera and in character?

How could you not recognise John Craven, though - everybody knows who he is and which street he lives in

@Enko

used to work for a cheese shop and met quite a few British celebs this way

John Cleese was a regular and always fabulous
Ruby wax nice and kind

Elton John always wanted to learn more about the cheeses so he was fun to serve.

I'm sorry but you met John Cleese in a cheese shop!

Pic or it didn't happen.

I've met lots over the years: -

Nicest: Gordon Ramsay

Most charismatic: Bill Clinton

Most charming: Michael Gove (I know, unexpected)

Kindest, sweetest: Fiona Phillips

Funniest: Billy Connolly

Sleaziest: Richard Branson

Most horrible, by a long way: Nick Knowles

Anita dobson. She was in East Enders at the time and she made a comment of how lovely My hair looked. All I could say to her, is, Thank you. It is natural. It wasn't. I used about a can of hairspray on it and back combed it. It was the 1980's at the time.
Davina McCall. Very friendly
Ian Hislop. Same, friendly

Dita von Teese - incredibly sweet, and stunningly pretty.

@YouHaveAHeartOfGold Can concur with this. Cabin crew freinds said she would blank them but say to husband 'tell her I want this, that or the other'. They would drop farts near her in retaliation.

Jacob Reese Mogg. Surprisingly pleasant, polite & helpful.
Jonathan Woss, Graham Norton, Bob Brydon, Christopher Biggins, Adrian Chiles, Simon Callow, Dita Von Reese, Janet Jackson. Lovely & charming.
Arthur Smith. Very funny, letchy & freindly.
Gary Kemp. Very pleasant & personable.
Brendan Coyle. Seemed a bit shy but has Irish charm.
Gok Wan. Campy & extrovert, doesn't miss much.
Jimmy Carr. Weird yellow alien eyes. Seemed strangely gossipy & camp, old womanish.

Sean Wilson (Martin Platt from Corrie) - lovely
Rik Mayall - lovely
Warrior and Zodiac the Gladiators - lovely

@TheWeeDonkeyFella

Jeffrey Archer - polite and engaging. I had to attend an event for him as part of my job and he made a point of coming to speak to us at the end of the event to say thank you, which he really didn't need to.

He and his dear wife are local to us and seem to think they can be vile to the plebs in the area sadly. DH had to take him home one night as he was too pissed to walk properly and Mary shouted at dh to get out of her house right away. Appalling snotty woman. Jeffrey also took a chair away from a disabled friend of mine at a 10k Mary was running (posing at) and I had to shout at him to get it back Blerugh

@Justhavingacuppa

Mick Hucknall - creepy Paul Weller - lovely Benedict Cumberbatch - knob Jodie Foster - shared a lift in a hotel. Friendly and very smiley.

Very disappointed to hear that Benedict Cumberbatch was not a lovely celebrity, tell us more please!

Loads but many of these are work related which is dogs.. and some a bit horsey..

Geoff Billington and John Whitaker - I called Geoff a cheeky sod and then he had to explain to a bunch of americans why, and what that meant (he'd been rude!)

Milton the horse!!!!!!!!! Gorgeous and funny and lovely.

Monty Roberts - liar, charlatan and a bastard to horses.

Anthony Head - giggly and silly and kind and funny. I drew his donkey (as you do).

Sue Perkins - who berated me for NOT having brought my assistance dog (the person before me in the queue had) and then I made her cry when I gave her a sketch of a beagle. She is lovely, got her PA to put the sketch away safely.

Certain presenters of relatively recent dog related tv shows - Charlotte Wild (dogs might fly) and Victoria Stilwell - lovely (but I worked for Vic for years). Sarah Fisher and Chirag Patel - lovely.
Some others ive known for years... less than lovely and very drama queen and camera hogging!

Alice Roberts, shes very nice but really quite shy!

Ricky Tomlinson is an absolute gent, friendly, interested, kind.

'er that played les battersby's wife... as rough as a badgers behind, smile doesn't go all the way to the eyes.

Claire Balding - delightful even if baffled and confused by my request.

Various musicians from The Levellers, Slipknot, Kitty, Indigo Girls (both of them), Mighty Mighty Bosstones (and I stood next to Dicky Barrett at a gig on the Deconstruction tour). Nice on the whole, some a bit busy and frazzled.

Lisa Riley - bumped into at her local tescos - v nice.

Joe Gilgun - allegedly I've been to the same parties as him and theres photographic evidence to prove this but I have zero recollection of this as it was the early 2000's which for various reasons I don't remember much of, and these were odd affairs up in the lancashire hills involving much booze and weirdness. There is an overlap between his circle of friends and mine though.

Monty Don - nice and friendly , shorter than expected, rough hands (expected) Charlie Dimmock - very short.

@FartandRoses
@Nordstrom I'm so glad to hear that.
I love Simon!

Same here!

[quote CherryRipe1]@YouHaveAHeartOfGold Can concur with this. Cabin crew freinds said she would blank them but say to husband 'tell her I want this, that or the other'. They would drop farts near her in retaliation.[/quote]

It’s sad though, I wonder why she felt the need to act like this. I wouldn’t say I was a massive fan of hers but she always seemed good fun on Blind date.

I met Anthony Hopkins in a museum some years ago. He was lovely and happy to write an autograph.

Suzie Quattro was absolutely vile when I met her .

Shame! She was a heroine of mine!

Found myself sitting next to Robert Plant at a comedy gig.

He was lovely. And at one point he was laughing so much he leaned against me!

I used to work in a dept store favoured by the rich and famous on Oxford st.
My favourites were Jamie Oliver and Peter Andre! Jamie came in to buy girls dresses and shoes for his 2 daughter's for The Beckham's world cup party. He was amazing and just like every harassed Dad who had been sent out by his wife!
Nigella Lawson was a serious diva as was Carol Vorderman ( who had sooooooo much makeup on)
Graham Norton was a proper skin flint who used the immortal line "do you know who I am?" When arguing for discount on champagne flutes as a wedding present for Elton, to which I replied "yes I do" and I walked off.
There were many more but they stick in my mind.
Oh and David Guest who walked into The Dorchester and audibly went "TA DA, YES GUYS IT REALLY IS ME" but not one single person looked up! 🤣🤣🤣

Suzie Quattro was absolutely vile when I met her .

Shame! She was a heroine of mine!

Her 'fat nan' is on MN and much, much nicer

I can't believe people actually say "Do you know who I am?"

@regthetabbycat

Found myself sitting next to Robert Plant at a comedy gig.

He was lovely. And at one point he was laughing so much he leaned against me!

Oh God, I would have passed out