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)

Years and years ago I was very struck by the fact that a family at my children's primary school all had first names starting with the same letter and their surname started with that letter too. Let's say the parents were Frank and Fiona Fenton and they'd chosen to call their children Felix, Finley, Fallon and Freddie. I mentioned this a few times on a messageboard I used to use and probably here too. It was some time after this that someone else who knew them mentioned that "Frank Fenton" was the lead singer in a band and was in fact quite well known (far from megastar status, but I think probably on TV occasionally, which counts as famous to me - I lead a quiet life). Oops. I've been more discreet since then.

I'm just really nosey!

My sil is a teacher and it was only when she met him at the first parents' evening that she realised that one of the kids in her class had a very famous dad.

Yes. Myself....

I got stuck in a revolving door with Tony Blackburn 🤣. Didn’t realise until I came out and DH “did you see who that was” 🤣

Me and DH were in a lovely little pub in the Lake District trying different gins. Struck up a conversation with a nice man who was very knowledgable about gin (as am I) and were having a fun competition about which ones we had tried over the years. He was really lovely and chatty!

I went out for a smoke and DH followed me and said "you do know you're talking to Paul Potts??"
I hadn't realised.

We had a great night with him, he's a really nice man!

Yes!!! Sob
an Oscar winning actress attended the same Xmas party I did.
didn’t realise till much later

Richard E Grant.

I spent my childhood/youth living under a rock.

Spent a lovely evening chatting to him at a dinner when I was about 25 with no clue who the man was until another guest filled me in at the end. Still meant bugger all to me though as I’d never heard of him. Nice chap though.

I opened the door last week of my friends house to a drummer of a famous 90s band. His daughter was with my friends daughter at our house. He looked familiar but couldn’t place him.

it was my friends daughter who said who he was. He was lovely and had a great chat after. My friend didn’t even know what he really did. Said he did music but didn’t realise it was music for a famous band from our uni days.

With very, very few exceptions, I wouldn't have a clue if I was speaking to "a celebrity" or not! Most so-called celebrities I've never even heard of, so in no way could I identify any of them!

I might stand a chance of recognising the King (but more from his voice than his appearance), and maybe Camilla, William and Kate - but even then, if I met them out of context, ie just walked past them in the street, I probably wouldn't know who they were. I'm very bad at remembering or recognising faces and names.

Yes, I have met someone famous without knowing. He was very aggressive to me and bullied his wife and expected to be able to do exactly as ge wanted with a situation. I stood up to him. When I returned to the office, people asked me whether I knew whom it was and I said no. Apparently, he is a famous footballer. Having said what the experience was, obviously I cannot say who it was, sorry. It was a few years ago now.

I am shit with people out of context.

I once walked past my own father in law and remember thinking “he looks like someone I know” when I saw him in a hotel lobby before someone’s wedding (he wasn’t supposed to arrive until the next day).

During one of the recent general
elections, I got canvassed on my doorstep by someone for Labour, had a bit of a chat, and he mentioned that he’d done a little video clip for them which would be on their Twitter that day. Thought it was a bit odd that some random Labour supporter from my town would get a video shown as part of the main Labour Party election campaign, but maybe they were showing the voices of local people or something.

After he’d left, I found the video, and turns out it was Ben Elton!

Another Celebrity thread where no one mentions names so I can tell you about the time when I met a celebrity in a nightclub in Newcastle, had no idea he was a celebrity, but we went back to his hotel and the next day had breakfast in his room then a walk stroll as I had heels on along the Quayside. I did notice a lot of people looking but to be fair he was pretty gorgeous, so I thought it was that.

Saw him on TV a few weeks later I had to do a double take, so I shagged a celeb and didn't even know, and I will never know if he knew that I really didn't know or was pretending iyswim?

Not a celebrity but my DSIS had a shock as she thought she spotted our DF who had died a year earlier, we were out at Chichester and she was in a boat with my mum on the lake opposite a cafe that I was sitting outside. A man asked if he could share my table to drink his coffee, my sister looked over at me and said for a minute she thought "Oh theres Jenny with Dad" then realised! I guess he did look like him and probably more so from a distance.

Quite a few years back I was at a conference at our local Hilton and we stopped for a break, I was talking to another woman as we walked out for coffee break and was engrossed in the conversation.

I walked slap bang into the chest of a man coming the other way, he was very pleasant and we both apologised for not paying attention. I noticed he was quite fit looking but bar that I was just embarrassed for hitting him so hard. We made small talk, he said they (there were a few of them) were off for a swim and I said I was at a women in construction conference and better be getting back. Said bye and continued on for coffee. The woman I was with was seemed very quiet all of a sudden and I had to ask why... she said how do you not know who that was? No not a clue.
Turns out that the man I walked into was Cristiano Ronaldo and the other men were the Man United team - they were staying in the hotel prior to their away game with NUFC and she was massively star struck as was DH when I told him. I didn't have a clue.

Op do you live in Crawley 🤣🤣🤣

I worked in a fancy delicatessen and a lot of soap stars from Emmerdale used to come in to it. I was oblivious though as I didn't really watch TV at the time (I preferred to be out partying !)... I remember one customer being really grumpy with me and afterwards my colleague said he was one of the Emmerdale cast as was known for getting annoyed if people didn't recognise him

I worked in a fancy delicatessen and a lot of soap stars from Emmerdale used to come in to it. I was oblivious though as I didn't really watch TV at the time (I preferred to be out partying !)... I remember one customer being really grumpy with me and afterwards my colleague said he was one of the Emmerdale cast as was known for getting annoyed if people didn't recognise him

Not me but I took DS to a motorbike even he was taking part in. In the car park packing up was Carl Fogerty. When he left 2 men told me that they had spent the whole morning riding round with his and had no idea who he was until he took his helmet off. That’s a massive experience for a motorbike enthusiast!

I was coming back through the airport in Milan (I used to go there a lot for work) and I got talking to a couple of guys at security. I’m not into fashion but they noticed my coat which was unusual, I guess it was fashionable (I’m not into fashion, I just saw it and loved it!). They were asking questions about it and commenting on the stitching so I asked them if they were in the fashion business- they said yes.

We were all getting food at the airport in the same place and I ended up joining them. I thought it was a bit strange that one of them treated the other like he put him on a pedestal. Also the waiter was extremely attentive. They were asking me where I’d eaten in Milan and recommending restaurants for when I returned, then the one being treated like he was important said he’d like to show me some amazing places to eat in Milan - I had mentioned my boyfriend several times already - he said he just liked showing off the city to visitors. He was a lot older than me and I couldn’t work out if he was genuine or just trying his luck. I was a bit dubious but agreed to swap business cards as it was only my work contact details not my personal ones. He gave me a very fancy metal business card which I thought was strange.

I googled him and he was a famous multimillionaire fashion designer. Not famous to me, but I mentioned him at work and everyone knew who he was (not sure why as a lot of them aren’t into fashion either!)

I was backpacking in Oz 2006/7 and out drinking on the east coast. There was a guy drinking with us in a big group, just hanging out with the backpackers in this little bar.. I knew his face and couldn't place him, thought it was maybe someone I'd met along the way as you tended to see familiar faces in the hostels.
Someone had to tell me it was Matthew McConaughey!
He was filming something out there and spent his evenings drinking with the locals. Really nice guy actually.

Not so far, but DH and I are going to an event next week where there may be some celebrities. We commented the other day that we probably wouldn't recognise them if they were sitting next to us. We are not in the least bit interested in celebrity status (and we've met a few). To us they are just people who do a job which happens to have made them famous (and sometimes rich). But it doesn't make them special.

I have told this story on here before but it surprised me so much I’ll tell it again. I used to dog walk everyday and meet this lovely old man, I’d have a quick chat and then be on my way. I didn’t see him for a month or so and after seeing him daily it was really odd, a few months later I turned the TV on and my little old man friend was on it in India , it was that ‘real marigold hotel’ TV show. I’d been chatting to Sid Little everyday or over a year and hadn’t noticed who he was.

On Halloween a few years ago, this bloke walked round the corner right into me and spilled his takeaway coffee on my coat. Saw him a couple more times that day and he kept trying to make it up to me RE the spill. He asked me out for a drink but I declined because, well, I thought he was a creep.

My friends later told me that it was Lee Mead.