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Original poster

Anyone met a celebrity and they haven’t been how you expected?

628 replies

Everdeen80 · 18/09/2023 14:35

I guess from all the RB threads…a lot of people saying that they are appalled but not exactly surprised.

so I wondered - anybody met anyone well known and they were NOT how you expected? For good or bad?

I had a very strange and brief encounter with one of my favourite actresses a couple of years ago and it was not what I expected at all! Made me realise of course we don’t know these people at all. Any other stories?

OP posts:
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10
Pablova · 04/10/2023 00:54

@Myneighboursarewankers
Mcjagger ? 😀

MissBridgetJones · 04/10/2023 00:58

Gok Wan - met him twice. Once when he was in a restaurant when he was doing panto - he was with Brian Connelly - both lovely

Then again this year I was staying in the same hotel- again he had time for everyone and was smashing

Christopher Biggins was a riot! Just brilliant x

AvocadotoastORahouse · 04/10/2023 01:04

CwmYoy · 03/10/2023 12:32

Greg Davies is all you hope he would be.

Delighted to hear this. His stories from when he was a teacher are hilarious

AvocadotoastORahouse · 04/10/2023 01:07

AmIAutumnalNow · 03/10/2023 15:52

I could have guessed Andrew
castle although he is well kown for being a knob

For the pp Andy Murray
Is absolutely lovely.

Totally agree on both counts!

Pablova · 04/10/2023 01:10

DD and I were staying in the same hotel in Dublin as Beyoncé.
We were stopped from entering the hotel as she and her entourage were leaving, burly bodyguards hooshing us abruptly aside.

Later that evening, one of her entourage requested the hotel lobby was cleared for her return and was abruptly demanding we all get up and leave.
I got pretty pissed off by this, given we too were guests of the hotel and we had sat down for a drink and a snack when she suddenly appeared at our side, apologising and told her entourage to leave us be, gave us a big smile and mouthed sorry at me as she rolled her eyes.

Not the Diva I was expecting at all.

AmadeustheAlpaca · 04/10/2023 01:10

One for all the Scottish Mumsnetters about Mhairi Hedderwick the author of the Katie Morag stories. She visited my daughter’s primary school and asked the children to write a short story. An easy gig for her to sit around watching the children write a story while she was being paid for being there. She told my seven year old daughter she’d written a silly story. Nice.

AvocadotoastORahouse · 04/10/2023 01:14

Howsimplywonderful · 03/10/2023 17:29

My brother met Michael Gambon. My brother knew I was a fan (I had flown to the U.K. to see him in various plays) so Michael recorded a lovely message for me.

I still have it and occasionally play it, the kids can recognise its Dumbledores voice. May he RIP

This is lovely

SomeoneKidda · 04/10/2023 01:18

CakeInAJar · 03/10/2023 13:57

One of the Hairy Bikers screamed at me

I just keep laughing at this. Sorry 😂

Sexisthairdressers · 04/10/2023 01:20

Vanessa Feltz was lovely when I met her. I was very pleased as she had always been one of my favourite radio presenters.

Mustardforest · 04/10/2023 01:43

Oh man I hope these stories are half true!

Had a few brief experiences. One, a gameshow with Alan Titchmarsh as a contestant. He never spoke to anybody other than when we were recording, seemed very stressed and awkward, don't think he was enjoying it.

In old advertising agency job, Ray Winstone was so down to earth and casual. I was a huge fan, had never seen a celebrity before, was so star struck that I dribbled coffee over myself. He smiled, got me a napkin and a refill, called me babe, I blushed like a PEACH.

Jameela Jamil was a savage experience - and this was before the was on Good Place! Super stuck up, unapologetically late, caused a mare around makeup and outfit, had no respect for any of the production team, and spoke so negatively about everyone. Was so bizarre when she rebranded as a body posi influencer when she came across as a real life Regina George.

And Tony Gardner, aka the dad from My Parents Are Aliens... perfect 'bloke next door who you'd trust with a lawnmover recommendation'. Lovely chap.

PyongyangKipperbang · 04/10/2023 01:48

As is often said, the ones who have made it are usually the nicest, its the ones who are D list at best but think that they should be treated as A list that are dicks.

Eddie Izzard. Neighbour of an old friend of mine and he really was a prick. And that was back in the "Cake or Death" days when he wasnt trying to educate women about how we are not really women. So I can only imgaine he is even worse now.

Supergirl1958 · 04/10/2023 03:18

I met Steve Cram during the 2012 olympics. He was an arse, arrogant and pig headed. I love my athletics so I cringe every time I listen to his comments now.

I also went to school with a famous soap turned drama actress married to an Essex boy. When I went to a party a few years after she became famous, I started chatting with an someone else I went to school with about isnt it amazing about how they are now famous and aren’t they doing well (this was in the early 2010s). They mentioned that they had happened to be out in a nightclub with her and all her friends in town and she had basically been one of those ‘don’t you know who I am’ kind of people. Which has really put me off her.

WiddlinDiddlin · 04/10/2023 04:18

Oooh thought of a couple I can talk about as I spent some time with them but they're not friends/friends of friends/linked to anyone I work with!

Ricky Tomlinson - absolutely lovely, offered to, and got me a coffee and biccies in a press lounge somewhere, having clocked I definitely could not carry it myself to a table, and sat and chatted with me for a bit whilst we were both waiting to do things (me - review footage, him, meet someone to go promote someones book on a stand i think)... Assumed nothing (refreshing for any wheelchair user!), listened, was genuinely funny and interested.

Scarlett Moffatt - strange sense of style, extremely orange, seemed nice enough but surface 'being pleasant to strangers' not 'real' at all - unsurprising for her age and what she does. Rude in a casual, thoughtless way not a nasty way.

Vicky Entwhistle - (Janice Battersby from Corrie) - the fact I feel I have to explain who she is tells you much tbh. Not interested in anyone else, rude and aware of it and doesn't care I'd say but thats obviously my opinion and who knows what kind of day she was having! Tried to shoo (yes, shoo, like a dog or cat or something) me away from the table where I was doing my actual job, so she could talk to someone (the person I was working for at the time) who was somewhat busy talking to me. Didn't like the idea that in context, I was a fair bit more important. Hey ho.

I know Chloe who is currently on Stephs Packed Lunch every other week-ish, talking about dog related stuff. She's lovely (and also an incredible artist) and just at the beginning of her presenting career and I hope she goes far (she certainly has the talent for it!).

middler · 04/10/2023 05:30

noel gallagher, small, humble polite
taylor swift, very hospitable and kind

autiebooklover · 04/10/2023 06:21

Playingintheshadow · 04/10/2023 00:08

Where the heck do you all meet these slebs??? I've seen Jason Orange, Richard E Grant, Alison Steadman among others but I've never actually MET them??

The ones that I mentioned I worked in a hotel they stayed at . Not a posh hotel a 3⭐️ but the nicest hotel in the town.

FormerlySpeckledyHen · 04/10/2023 06:29

I spent a week in the company of Brenda Blethyn and she was so lovely. Normal, friendly, funny, kind, thoughtful, interesting and interested.

HernesEgg · 04/10/2023 06:35

Slicedwhite · 04/10/2023 00:12

Bearing in mind a celebrity is just a human being and can vary a lot depending on the context and what’s going on with them at the time - for example rude and irritable on one occasion and extremely warm and chatty another

I'm also a human being but never ever rude and irritable other than with those closest to me who understand and will let it slide

But you’re presumably not famous, and surrounded by people who recognise you, find the encounter exciting, are expecting you to be chatty, available and ‘lovely’ (which appears to mean ‘responsive to me’) at every turn, while registering any behaviour that isn’t?

These threads are weird. John Malkovich once stole my taxi on Oxford Street but I didn’t decide this meant he was an appalling human being.

RLmadmum · 04/10/2023 06:35

Tyson Fury is a chauvinistic pig. Met him on two occasions (the first I had nonclue who he was and had to Google him) and he's just extremely rude. Got some of my mates kicked out of a club because one of them wouldn't dance for him 😳

Lovecat · 04/10/2023 06:46

BodegaSushi · 04/10/2023 00:27

Ok you must be James Corden because no one has even said this of him

Show quote history

He came into DDs place of work a few weeks ago and she served him - we were expecting tales of awfulness, but apparently he was lovely. Is it wrong that I was quite disappointed?

Ian McKellen completely blanked me when my (gay, male) friend and I were talking to him at a charity event because he was so intent on flirting with said friend that I effectively ceased to exist. Went off him at that point.

Saw 2 very different sides of Neil Morrissey years ago when staying in the same small posh hotel as him and I honestly don't know what I think of him. Very lovely and interesting to chat to at great length after dinner, but I don’t think he realised that I'd had my back to his table during said dinner and had overheard him be so cold and vicious to his gf that it was quite upsetting. Obviously a tiny snapshot of someone's life and quite possibly unrepresentative of him as a person but all the time he was being charming and unassuming, chatting to DH and I about cooking and travel I was thinking "You utter git" because of it. His gf seemed lovely and we'd chatted earlier by the pool when I didn’t have a clue who she was (he stayed hidden behind a hat and newspaper the whole time) so it was rather shocking how nasty he was to her in private.

Doing the Telethon phones many, many years ago, Suzanne Tully was a mardy bitch but Kenny Lynch (none of us really had a clue who he was) was the sweetest, friendliest man alive.

Joanne Lumley was my DH's childhood crush and at a charity event in the late 80s he was gazing at her all moon-eyed as she came down off the podium and walked past our seats - she saw him gawping, flashed him a brilliant smile and a little wink and he almost died of sheer happiness on the spot.

Julian Cope is such a lovely, kind, genuinely fantastic person but his actual head is weirdly large up close. He was talking to me, I'd been waiting to meet him in a long line of people made longer because he was spending so long talking to everyone, but all I could think of was "Heid!" (if you know, you know)

abs12 · 04/10/2023 06:47

Nelson Mandela. The most supreme human.... He acted like we were long lost pals, treated everyone, irrespective of station, as equals, long lost buddies. He looped his arm with mine and off we went for a wander and chit chat down the hallway. Was gobsmacked. Kindest, funniest human and he never stopped smiling.

Milksheikha · 04/10/2023 06:53

Grayson Perry
A really sweet, educated and funny man, who was nothing like what I expected.

TheOnlyLivingBoyInNewCross · 04/10/2023 06:58

Bit gutted to hear Richard Osman is a diva - he’s always my first choice for ‘famous people you’d like to spend an evening in the pub with’.

Can agree with everyone saying that Gordon Ramsay is polite and pleasant - met him at a book signing and he complimented me on well my then three year old had behaved in the queue and what a lovely child he was 😁

Not remotely surprised to hear that Andy Murray is lovely - nothing about him suggests he wouldn’t be! Love his understated feminism.

FriendsDrinkBook · 04/10/2023 07:02

I met a few 'celebs' when I worked in retail in West London in the 90s. Mr motivator came in to pick up his order and it wasn't ready , he was polite and patient but surprisingly really reserved. The bloke that played Nick Cotton in EE came in to ask for directions and we had a chat over the A-Z as he figured out his route to his meeting.

I used to live near Ian McKellen and he always smiled and chatted to everyone. Was just one of the locals.

Hellenabe · 04/10/2023 07:03

Nigella: beautiful but really snooty

Gordon Ramsey : very leery/sleazy

An ex knew Madonna and George Michael socially. Madonna is apparently very firm as you'd expect. GM, friendly and his words 'very gay'. He said the Kemps kids were given a huge inheritance from George, like mind blowing sums so I often wonder why Roman is everywhere.

sep135 · 04/10/2023 07:11

Tom Cruise (he was in the same box at a concert). Wasn't previously a big fan but he was a really nice guy, Chatted to everyone while his bodyguard waited outside the door.

It was also his 60th birthday, we sang happy birthday and he was presented with a cake. All a bit surreal. He left about 15 minutes after us and we walked past him being mobbed in Hyde Park. Credit to him that he'd turned down being whisked off in one of the golf buggies.

I used to see Barbara Windsor walking her dog regularly as she lived near me. Always friendly.

Very disappointed about Alan Carr....

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