Have you ever been in the company of a celebrity and not even realised.

[Jenasaurus]

I was discussing scallops with a friend who couldn't understand my dislike of seafood when a memory of being forced to eat one surfaced.

My 28-year relationship had ended, and I was asked on a date by a new man, we were spending time together getting to know each other, anyway we went on a romantic break, and I arrived by train before him as he had to run a youth club that night and would join me at about 9. So, I wandered around this amazing hotel alone and found myself in the cocktail bar watching a cocktail making demonstration. This was a very trendy place, (MyHotel, Brighton) and the toilets were unisex, when I went in this man made a joke to me about it, I went in and there was a very drunk lady in there who I helped out. It turns out she was his girlfriend, he looked familiar, and I couldn't work out why, but realising I was on my own they invited me to join then, we had a few drinks and then they invited me to join them for dinner, I checked with my date, but he was running late so agreed. We went to this amazing restaurant and when we went in, all the people rushed up to greet him, this was a little odd, I was striking up a great bond with his girlfriend and they were interested in my date and how we met (thats a story for another time).
Anyway, it turned out he was a Channel 4 TV presenter from how to make your first million, I don't watch the show, but he looked familiar, then comes the scallop part...he had paid for all this food and I didnt have the heart to say I find eating a scallop like a food challenge from I'm a celeb and ate it with a fake smile on my face! I was so proud of myself for enduring that challenge that most would consider a treat.

Anyway, we got back to the hotel and my date was still not there, so I mentioned to them we had the penthouse suite and there was a fairground antique horse in the bedroom, they wanted to see it, so I showed them around (apparently snoop dog had the same suite when he stayed - I got it for £99 from Secret escapes so a good deal). They came up and noticed the bath water in the bath, I said I couldn't work out how to let it out, so he put his hand in and let it out for me...his girlfriend giggled and said "I can't believe you have just put your hand in someone Elses dirty bath water"

Later my date arrived, and I introduced them, they told him off for leaving me waiting so long, his girlfriend gave me her number and said to keep in touch, muttered she didnt like my date and they left! My date is convinced they had planned to have an evening of swinging but the girl didnt fancy him!!

What are your stories of being in the company of someone you were expected to know but totally unaware. The bar tenders said to me "how do you know martin?" I said "I dont really", apparently as well as the show 'How to make your first million' he owned a lot of the nightclubs and bars in Brighton in the 80s (probably how he made his first million)

Yes! I went on holiday to LA and the main guy from big bang theory (id never seen it at the time) was outside a theatre and everyone was screaming. I had had a few cocktails and I went up
To his face and asked him who he was and is he famous as Id never seen him before. Cringe

When I worked for Government we had a tour of Downing Street when Tony Blair was PM. I was in the same room as him without noticing!! All my colleagues saw him but I didn't.

If thats to me, it was Martin Webb

Who? Never heard of him

Many years ago DH spent all afternoon playing pool with a very pleasant bloke at a film studio. He seemed vaguely familiar but it wasn't until the end of the day that DH realised it was Eric Clapton.

I worked in a private hospital in London.

One day I got in the lift, with a bloke, asked him which floor, he grunted. I thought 'you look familiar', when I got out of the lift I realised he was one of the Gallagher brothers, this was mid 90s.

Another time I was drinking with some friends / acquaintances, aske the BF of one, "so who are you? and "what do you do?" he was only an actor on one of the famous soaps.

I'm terrible at recognising faces.

We were on holiday in SE Asia. Had been on a days sight seeing, we’re standing in a fairly remote spot, no other tourists around when two American ladies came around the corner.

They started chatting and joking with my husband whilst I was off taking pics. This went on for a good 10 mins or so until we all left the scene.

He asked me why one of the ladies looked familiar … well, that would be because it was Andie McDowell, Hollywood actress and former model.

My dh was once evacuated from his hotel at midnight because of a fire alarm.
A man was looking very sheepish as they all stood outside.
Dh found out the man was Warren Mitchell and after returning from performing at the Yorkshire playhouse he had decided to make toast in his room.
Queue fire alarm.

What!? 🙀

can u give us a clue please as the exact same thing happened to me and I’m wondering if it’s same guy 😆

Nope. The closest I’ve been is in Madam Tussauds. I did give Benedict Cumberbatch a hug though ❤️ ❤️ 😆

Just so we’re 💯 clear it was a waxwork

I was once at JFK for a red eye to London. I was tired and crabby and the two young blokes ahead of me in the security queue were particularly slow. One of them started taking coins out of his pocket, a lighter, took his belt off...I tutted, rolled my eyes and walked past him. He looked a bit surprised and I realised he was Alfie Allen (of Game of Thrones fame at the time).

Once I was sat (in business class), he arrived and had to kick off his seat some dude who was sat there taking a chance by mistake. He had a chat about it with the bloke sat next to him and when the entertainment systems came up, the bloke started watching Game of Thrones...he then looked at Alfie...back at the screen...it was rather funny 😂

I was on an underground train many, many years ago when a man who looked familiar got on the train at Westminster and sat opposite me. I thought I must have met him somewhere and did a smile and sort of half a wave, he nodded back. Subsequently I realised I knew the face because it was George Brown, previously Foreign Secretary.

Does it count if they weren't famous at the time? DS had a very tall drama teacher who the kids used to mock for his ambitions to get into stand-up. I have only the vaguest memories of meeting him at parents' evening once, he seemed pleasant. He did or course make it in stand up and more, as he was Greg Davies.

Absolutely this. I can not understand the obsession with 'celebrity'. It's mindless, shallow, unintelligent behaviour. Why would anyone be interested in people who make a living from being talentless and just selling themselves to publicity- Christine McGuiness, ex-TOWIE's, Katie Price, Kerry Katona, ex-reality tv people etc? This, along with tv programmes like Loose Women, I'm A Celeb, Love Island, and so on, show how far we have sunk as a nation. I don't understand why anyone would 'follow' these people, read about their sordid lives, admire them, copy their clothes or style, have any interest in feeding their bank accounts. The people in this country (and around the world) who do are brain-dead.

Surely the point is that these celebrities were not recognised.
I think someone celebrity obsessed would probably know who they were.
In my dh’s case he had seen the celebrity on tv years ago.
And he wasn’t best pleased at having to evacuate his hotel at midnight.

😂

I was sitting having brunch next to a rather beautiful woman at the adjacent table. My other half tried to hint something to me, but I was oblivious. When she left he told me it was Emilia Fox from Pride and Prejudice! 😊

My dad in the 90s was hotel manager for a posh hotel in Colchester, Essex.
He was chatting away to some guests who were in the bar and one of the young waitresses asked if he knew who they were, my dad didn’t have a clue. It was all of Blur having drinks.
he also had David Jason, Nicholas lyndhurst and ‘uncle Albert’ stay there and chat to him, but he did know who they were :)
And also Princess Anne too.

One of my neighbours is a very famous singer. Moved into the area with her family during lockdown, when I was heavily involved in the local mutual aid scene.

First time we met: our kids got talking, she explained they'd just moved in, I gave her lots of (unsolicited) advice about nurseries and parks etc. She recognised me when I gave my name and asked if I was so-and-so from the WhatsApp group. Hugely gushing and complimentary towards me and just lovely.

Second time: I failed to recognise her. She calls me from across the street to say hello. Still no idea who she is.

Months later another acquaintance runs into us saying hello and asks me if I know who that is, then tells me. All starts making sense - the travel, the fact that she kept offering to share things with her followers on Instagram when our project needs help, all sorts of little details that didn't add up.

Since then I usually have a handle on her name at least, but once bumped into her at school drop off and again she's hugely lovely, says she heard about my pregnancy, due X month right, just very attentive, and I have to say again that I'm really sorry but I just can't place her.

She is the loveliest woman and I feel so silly that this keeps happening, on pain of death it is not deliberate. She looks like everywoman on the school run.

Isn't this from Motherland?

Isn't this from Motherland ? Lol

My first one isn't really mine but...in a department store in New York I was waiting for my Mum to get out of a lift, the doors opened and Donald Sutherland and my Mum were in deep conversation about how it's her first time in New York. They stepped out of the lift and kept talking then after a long 10 mins they said their goodbyes, my Mum thought it was just a friendly man!

I sat next to Emma Thompson on a flight back from the US (not the same trip as the Donald Sutherland one!). I put the divider up and she put it down and was the chattiest person I've ever met in my life, lovely but bonkers! I don't know if it was because I was so tired but I didn't recognise her for a good 30 minutes!

In a small Italian restaurant I was getting up to go to the loo and caught eyes with a woman opposite. The restaurant was tiny so I was manoeuvring slowly, concentrating, so unintentionally kept my gaze longer than I usually would so did the obligatory 😐kind of disarming smile, she didn't smile or 'neutral face' back, she looked irritated. I went to the loo, came back and had to get back 'in' so locked eyes again, I did more of a 🙂kind of smile and she looked even more irritated. It was only a week or so later I realised it was Kristen Scott Thomas.

I was working at a conference some years ago. I'd been learning Spanish for a while and I met an older man who was happy for me to practice my Spanish on. We chatted for ages and he was really lovely and helpful. I noticed that there a few smartly dressed guys around but didn't think anything of it. It turned out that he was the president of Ecuador and they were his security detail. I was mortified but he smilesd and waved when he left so perhaps he didn't mind that I didn't know who he was x

Jane Birkin was sat on the table next to me in a cafe in Paris. I only know of her from photos from the 70s and the famous bag so didn't have a clue. My partner's brother told me as she left (he's french and she's very well known over there).

At least you didn't think he was the King of Spain and address him as "Your Majesty" whilst ignoring the actual King and Queen (like my mortifying story upthread 😱🤦‍♀️🙈😭)

@Tiredalwaystired I was friends with Steve Strange, from the 80s clubbing days. I went to his funeral in Pothcawl with Boy George (who carried his coffin). Lovely man.

I used to say hello to a man every day on the school run thinking I knew him as I recognised him. Then was watching a football programme and there he was - Gavin Peacock (footballler, now Pastor). I never knew him at all, just thought I did.

On my hen weekend in 2003 Ant and Dec were staying in the same hotel as me in Manchester. I was in the lift with them and didn't recognise them. TBF I was drunk.