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

[Everdeen80]

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?

Alan Davis unpleasant & arrogant.

JimnJoyce Greg Davies very cheerily agreed to send a video message to me for my last birthday after DS1 saw him in a London pub (DS's flat mate and I share a name and also had a birthday coming up so Greg did a 2f1 message).

Interesting about Phil Collins. What was the context?

I went to a talk Judy Murray gave. She was just the loveliest woman. Clearly he’s been brought up extremely well with so much love and support. He is a feminist because of her. She champions the women on the circuit and talks about how hard it is for them . He’s taken that in I think. What a strong, grounded and wonderful woman she is. Her sons are a credit to her.

Met Jude Law.

I didn't recognise him at first and denied him access to the specialist VIP area at a concert. In fairness it was hot and I have a chromic illness and brain fog was high. I wasn't even meant to have been working that day at all but there was a shortage of staff.

Anyway, he showed me his wrist pass and everything and it had to have a certain colour code but I got mixed up on the colours. I also didn't twig because he was so dressed down. I refused point blank to let him in and told him to walk halfway around the stadium park area to another place. Kept repeating no.

Recognition only dawned on me (along with a creeping sense of wanting the ground to swallow me whole) towards the end of the exchange when his friends burst out laughing (clearly finding it amusing that he wasn't recognised and dismissed) and I looked at his face more closely. But by then I was a bit bamboozled at this unexpected turn of event, so couldn't speak anymore and just looked at him dumbly for a few seconds trying to work out how to backtrack.

But he was absolutely cool about it! Didn't say 'Do you know who I am?!' Or report me, or talk down to me, or throw his weight around. In fact he meekly complied, said thank you and walked around to the main entrance even though he would have been going to the wrong place.

My boss was later unimpressed when I related the story and I was ribbed mercilessly by staff later.

But I was super impressed by him. Lovely guy! People with far lesser status have treated me like shit at work and for doing my job correctly at that.

Here I did the wrong thing and he was just super amused by it and humble. The good looks complement his good manners for sure!

The actress from The Bay and Grantchester? She's ridiculous, who does she think she is? Why would anyone look at her, would they recognise her?

According to my three oldest DC Emma Watson was seen regularly in Oxford around ten years ago when she did a short stint there seconded from her US uni, always wearing sunglasses however shit the weather.

Gordon Ramsay was absolutely lovely, really kind and warm.

I'd gone to an event he was speaking at, and I bumped into him beforehand while I was waiting for my friend. I'd brought one of his books in case he was planning to do a signing at the end, so I got it out and started gushing about how much I'd enjoyed reading it - he started leafing through it showing me his favourite bits. Honestly I don't think I could fangirl him more.

i hate to say it, but I found him really nice too. So we’re Justin and Collin. Will Mellor and Carol Smiley were fucking awful.

@autiebooklover she has a shop in Key West, I have met her and chatted to her LOADS of times in there (I have a friend I visit in KW). She is an absolute sweetie and spent ages recommending books for my DD :)

@littleripper amazing. I'm so glad she's lovely, she is my childhood hero.

I once had dinner with the shoe designer, Jimmy Choo. He was an absolute delight. So lovely, so humble and so discreet about his celebrity clients. Really nice chap.

I met the Dalai Lama, who was wonderful and very funny.

And very surprisingly, I met David Walliams and found him not to be an arse.

Really? I know that sometimes on these threads there’s the temptation to sneer at celebrity, and a desire to make sure no one is at risk of getting too big for their boots - so this airy ‘Never HEARD of them myself’ (just in case said celebrity was in danger of thinking themselves remotely important or famous) but your DH had genuinely never heard of James Cracknell? That says more about your DH than James Cracknell, I’m afraid - it’s not as if we’re talking about an ex Love Islander here. The man is a six times world champion and won two Olympic golds!

Just to add I met the late Jim Bowen several times and he was an absolute joy.

I work with celebrities and have met a lot ..

98% are a joy

The one who stands out as adorable when everyone seems to dislike him is Gregg Wallace, fabulous man.

My particular favourite is Jamie Oliver, who gets a lot of hate on here.

Maureen Lipman is beyond vile.

I don't know why all the hate for Gregg Wallace. I really like him.

David Beckham was lovely, very gracious and was happy to stop and say hello to my kids even though he was "off duty" with Victoria and the one of their kids.

I bumped into Paddy Ashdown in the Palace of Westminster when he was leader of Lib Dems. It was my fault, not looking where I was going, but he was utterly charming and apologised. Very attractive and smartly dressed too.

Not sure why you take this superior and – speaking of sneering – sneery attitude. If you're not into rowing/sport you'd have no reason to know about James Cracknell.
As a casual sports-watcher who watches a bit of everything at the Olympics, nothing more in-depth, I'd just about dimly heard of him. Not sure I could pick him out of a line-up though. Whatever that might say about me.

Hahaha an Irish comedian, probably best known for being the voice over on I'm a celeb. He is actually quite a funny comedian, but I met him through my work and he was seriously rude and obnoxious.

Not at all surprised about Andrew Castle! Would def be surprised about Andy Murray though, for a start not an ex tennis player and more importantly one of the most down to earth "celebs" around.

Gizzy Erksine was mega rude. Could tell she’d grown up with domestic staff.

I wouldn't have known who James Cracknell was either, as I'm not particularly into rowing!

Jarvis Cocker - very polite and sweet
Shaun Ryder - he is a really nice guy
Jay Kay - not so nice

Simon le Bon - didn't meet him exactly but was waiting for my Dsis outside a theatre and he kept coming to stand next to me. I kept moving away. This went on for about 15 mins. It was a bit creepy

My Dsis has met Brad Pitt and Paul Weller - said they were both lovely.

Paul Scholes - DS played on the same football team with his DS. He is really quiet and unassuming but happy to chat when he was treated as just another parent.

Peter Hook when a very young me worked in a record shop - he was at the counter looking around all a bit 'do you know who I am' - I was serving him and I actually didn't.

Lesley Ash - extremely unpleasant

Tina Fey - I didn't realise who she was when I was in a shop asking her opinion on the same bags we'd picked up. She was lovely.

Will someone tell me that Caitlin Moran is fabulous? I would be very disappointed if she wasn't

Haven't read the whole thread so not sure what has been said about him but he did have a horrific accident which had a huge effect on him.