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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
Starbeeees · 03/10/2023 19:38

Nigel Harman however was HORRIBLE

HashtagDerekSays · 03/10/2023 19:40

Really nice:

Harry Styles and Nick Grimshaw together in Nick's flat (property/ interiors)
Joan Collins (gifted a £20 tip and a pack of 6 mini Waitrose pork pies 😁)
Simon Pegg
Howard from Take that
Minty from eastenders 😁
Nicole Appleton
Ewan McGregor
Nicola from girls aloud
Nick Newer
Sir Ranulph Fiennes
Steve Backshalla
Robert plant
Alma from Corrie (Amanda Barry)
Annie Lennox

not nice:
Liam Gallagher, not mean just awkward as he didn't know Nicole had ordered the work to be done on their house so an argument ensued, which was awkward (wild bedroom 😊)

Professor green when he was married to Millie Macintosh

Alan Carr 😢😢 ( "don't talk to me")

Hibernatalie · 03/10/2023 19:41

Steve Lamaq (not very famous)
So incredibly sound!!

Stillwaitingfor · 03/10/2023 19:46

Sorry but this really made me laugh

Stillwaitingfor · 03/10/2023 19:48

CakeInAJar · 03/10/2023 13:57

One of the Hairy Bikers screamed at me

Oops, that was about this one

Zelda93 · 03/10/2023 19:48

Met Joanna Lumley at the theatre having a smoke on the break .. she was so friendly and lovely my mum is a huge fan so totally made her year 😂

Derrymum123 · 03/10/2023 19:52

Clive Myrie was an absolutely lovely man. Very polite and interesting to talk to.

Puzzledandpissedoff · 03/10/2023 19:54

Jimmy Stewart the actor. Staying with a pal in LA and thought he was joking about knowing him through his dad, until he stuck me in the car and took me round there
Absolutely lovely, exactly as he came across in his movies (and makes great lemonade)

Princess of Wales when she was still Duchess of Cambridge, who I met on a Norfolk Beach with George and Charlotte (Louis not then born)
Also just lovely, downright normal and very well clued up on local issues
And she does carry money - I bought her kids and mine an ice cream and she got her own purse out and tried to insist on paying - of course I refused!!

hollylou · 03/10/2023 19:57

Sean lock was extremely quiet and unassuming, I cared for a close member of his family and we were all given tickets to watch his show 💜

loopylou3030 · 03/10/2023 20:00

I used to be Janine Duvitski's live in nanny many years ago for her 4 children. She was lovely and treated me very well. No airs or graces at all.

WearyAuldWumman · 03/10/2023 20:01

He's always been a lovely bloke.

Edwardandtubbs · 03/10/2023 20:06

I've worked in a few art galleries so have met artists...

Tracey Emin came across as aloof and was obsessed with selling as much merch as possible - so as I expected!

Grayson Perry clearly didn't want to engage with me and instead looked me up and down and then stood awkwardly in silence (after I'd introduced myself to him) - I thought this betrayed his 'man of the people / down to earth' persona

Jeremy Deller was lovely, shy and quiet but very polite and listened to all our ideas for his show with good grace

TBH I'm surprised when any artist is anything less than a control-freak-self-absorbed-adult-baby

MouseMinge · 03/10/2023 20:12

@Puzzledandpissedoff thank you for that about James Stewart. I've always loved him. I also had a cat that loved him which sounds mental but whenever he was on the TV and I'd watch his films or he'd be on the Terry Wogan show or something, she'd sit in front of the telly and make little meep sounds at him when he was speaking. Only when he was speaking, anyone else in the scene/interview, nothing, him, all of the meeting.

I think that often famous people can come across as arseholes if we meet them on an off day or if, and we don't even realise it, we've inadvertently annoyed them. I have an example. I've "met" Steve Coogan twice. The first time wasn't a meet at all, I was having brunch outside Harry's in Brighton and he arrived in his (very, very ugly) grey Lamborghini with a very attractive woman and they were sitting near us. One of the friends I was with is called Steve, so there was a lot of "Steve, just shut up!" - Steve needed telling sometimes - or "Steve, what are you doing later?" etc. There was a lot of "Steve!" comments. Steve Coogan was getting really pissed off because he thought we were taking the piss and left in a huff. Was he an arsehole? Well, yes. I mean he's not the only person in the world called Steve, but also no because we were loud and I'd not have wanted to eat near us if I had been anyone else either.

Years later, I was helping out in an antique store in Brighton. There were no customers, I was reading a book, he came in - Steve Coogan, not my mate Steve. I looked up as I would if any customer came in, smiled said "Hello, if you need me just let me know." and went back to reading my book as he wandered around having a look at stuff. He asked me a question about something, can't remember what now and I answered. He thanked me for my help, was very polite, nice and, I got the impression, happy that he was being treated as though he was just another customer, which he was and not bothered.

Maybe he used to be an arsehole and now he isn't - he's certainly off the gak these days so that would certainly help lessen the arseholery - or maybe he's still an arsehole but not all the time, or maybe the treatment he got the second time was a change for him and he liked it. It changed my opinion of him completely and I'll always stick up for him if someone says he's an arsehole. I'm sure he can be but he can also be really polite, quiet and nice to have roaming around your antique shop.

imSatanhonest · 03/10/2023 20:16

Barbara Windsor - was absolutely lovely & chatted like I was an old friend.

Margi Clarke - met her at Creamfields about 16 years ago & sat and had lunch with her. She was lovely.

Tooldforwobblyknees · 03/10/2023 20:16

Morten Harket (a-Ha).
My mum said I was too young for concerts in the 1980's, so I decided to revisit a few memories.
It was an outside broadcast a few years ago - a few of us ran after him afterwards and he smiled at me! I asked for a selfie and got one.
14 year-old me nearly fainted - put the photo on Facebook and got complimented on my 'husband' 🤣

Thereislightattheendofthetunnel · 03/10/2023 20:19

I met Rafael Nadal when his career was starting to get some notoriety. He was practicing in the same leisure centre my school used . A friend and I queued to get an autograph from him as he was signing some. We had only 3 people in front of us, and no one behind. When it was our turn, he stood up and left us there. A complete idiot in my opinion with lack of manners and a lot of self importance. That was 19 years ago and I am still bitter.

Christmas202 · 03/10/2023 20:23

The only people remotely famous that I have met are Paul hill Shane mc Gowan. And the whitakers (showjumping) all were absolutely fabulous people. Had wonderful conversations with both. Nana was sitting next to Tom cruise on a plane to La . My family new Barbara windsor very well think I may have met her once. She was a fabulous lady. Also the actor in paddington and downtown abbey is a family friend. I’ve met him once or twice. He is also a gentleman.

Canibearsed · 03/10/2023 20:23

Harrriet · 03/10/2023 13:03

Katie Price gave me her packet of baby wipes and refused any money to replace them.
James Martin is lovely despite what I've read.

I have come across Katie Price a few times because she lives fairly local . She has always been lovely and never seen even a hint of her persona .
Davina McCall lives close by and she is just one of the locals out walking her dogs. Always a smile and quick dog chat.

B1rd · 03/10/2023 20:26

CwmYoy · 03/10/2023 12:32

Greg Davies is all you hope he would be.

I am pleased about that, because I have plans to marry him...he doesn't know this though! 😂

ChalaKaloo · 03/10/2023 20:28

Liam Callagher..very shy and awkward. I thought he'd be loud and boisterous, but he pretty much hid behind his wife the whole time.

Whisperingangel1 · 03/10/2023 20:29

Gordon Ramsay - very polite and charming!

Whisperingangel1 · 03/10/2023 20:30

Worked for Matt Tebbutt before he was famous and he was lovely!

Puzzledandpissedoff · 03/10/2023 20:31

That's lovely about the cat, @MouseMinge Smile - something in the tone of voice, perhaps?

Kittenkitty · 03/10/2023 20:34

I agree, I went out with a TV quizzer once, you’d be surprised how many people recognised them and wanted a photo. We spoke about it because it was like an elephant in the room. Awkwardness of a first date and then selfies with strangers thrown in to the mix. He said he tries to be nice, but if you’re rude to one person you’ll see it online the next day - that person leaves the bit out that they interrupted your conversation or that you were in the loo at the time.

LunaNorth · 03/10/2023 20:37

I’ve not met him, but Lee Mack surprised me on Gone Fishing this week.

I wasn’t expecting him to be a quiet, teetotal, meditating vegan with a camper van. Completely different to his persona.

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