When you went to school with a celebrity and they lie about their story

[threeisacharm18]

I was listening to a pop star who was being interviewed and heard them tell some blatant lies about their background.

They claimed to never have gone to drama school or had any industry connections and miraculously was scouted.

I know this to be a complete lie. I was so surprised as to why they would lie this way. It makes no sense. It's been 20 years. No one cares that much so why lie... ?

I guess they were trying to flog something so maybe it the 'struggle story' sells better

Front man of well known band was in same year as me at primary. An only child, he had a very charmed middle class upbringing, with some obvious wealth on show. He now likes to portray himself as some sort of man of the people who came from a working class background. He also tells fibs about his age.
I’d say it all goes with the celebrity lifestyle. Makes those of us who know him roar with laughter.

I read an interview a while back with a man I was at school with who is now an actor. It was all about growing up poor on the mean streets of London etc. We grew up in an affluent suburb, went to a good school and his family are absolutely loaded. Just trying to sound interesting or edgy I guess.

Did he sing about working class people?

@Grandmasswagbag That one really made me laugh, it was such a dumb ruse. She was brought up in Massachusetts and went to uni in New York. How could she think she’d get away with it?! 🤣

I know who you mean, but no. This is a Scottish band.

This thread is no use to me without names 🤨

Scottish hrm...

I'm rubbish at guessing.

I think it’s Rachel Stevens who was very recently on Woman’s Hour.

I thought this too.

origin stories are often lies - but also we all have our own narration about who we are and what is significant in our pasts. I’d not be that thrilled if someone I was at school with decades ago thought they knew more about my story than I do.

You mean ‘ilaria Baldwin of course 🤣🤣🤣

so claiming Easterhouse when West End?

Or Leith when Morningside?

DH went to school with Paul Potts. I'll get his take on this.

Paul Potts? Who?

@KarenSmithsWeatherBoobs

Oooo yes please!
I have always wondered ...

BGT winner.
Sang Opera - made a movie on his life

Are they on Love Island ? 😂😂

Never watched Love Island

Roxanne Pallett, then.

They know people love a good hard luck / underdog story, so they go that way. It’s easier to sell.

Folks also don’t like people who they think ‘sail through life’. If you’re born wealthy/pretty/in a stable family/bright/talented… you must be miserable/hiding something behind your veil…

I can see why they do .

This is Olivia Coleman. Well known in the area I grew up in.

It seems I’m far from alone on this, but a minor celebrity left my secondary school sixth form the year before I started in year 7, but is now apparently the same age as me.

Also, not a schoolmate, but a famous actress from my hometown worked in a well-known local restaurant - the owner himself being quite well-known - before she was famous. In one of these “People and places I love” type interviews you get in magazines and Sunday supplements, she was waxing lyrical about how it was still one of her favourite restaurants and that she still went all the time instead of going to celebrity haunts. Unfortunately for her, it had shut down at least 12 years before the interview 😁

I was at school with a famous actor. Turned into a total dick when fame first hit, has now dialled it back down and doesnt really do the celeb thing. But when he was in his dick phase he did an interview where he implied he worked hard to get away from his sink estate and get successful.

A) no he didnt, he was best mates with a guy who went on to be a v successful director who gave him a massive leg up by casting him as a favour as he was dying on his arse at auditions. He is doing well now as he is a bit of a Hugh Grant, ie he plays himself so all of his characters are the same just with a different background.
B) it wasnt a sink estate at all
C) the incident of "violence" that he gave as an example of living near the postoffice that had its window put through....well that was true, but it was his dad who did it when he was pissed and tried to chuck a road cone at his mate and it slipped out of his hand at the wrong moment!

A successful businessman from my hometown popped up on a pod cast recently with a "hard knocks" story.

I knew him then, privately educated lad who dropped out of uni and has made the family business good.

However, scratch the surface of most and you find some element of privilege.

Richard Branson? Privately educated son of a QC who got seed money for at least 2 businesses that failed before virgin.

Jeff Bezos likes to make a deal of his mum being a teen mother and his father leaving them when he was young, doesn't add the bit in about having some support from his ranch owning grandfather. Also his parents were able to give him twice the value of a house in their local area to start Amazon.

Elon Musk, privately educated in apartheid South Africa and got funding from his emerald mine owning Dad on more than one occasion.

Bill Gates, wealthy family, mum had connections to the Chairman of IBM and got Bill the chance to pitch Microsoft's operating system to them. He likes to play on the college drop out bit.