Page 10 | Famous people you thought would be nice, but were tw*ts?

Moodershewrote · 2025-07-22T13:25:34+00:00

Have you met someone famous and they turned out to be a bit of a twat? I once met Steve Coogan (who I thought was hilarious as Alan Partridge) who was a sexist, lecherous buffoon IRL. Share your tales!

Illegally18 · 22/07/2025 19:41

AntiquePenguin · 22/07/2025 18:35

Surely, they know that kind of thing is the price you pay for being famous? Why would people go into television or acting or whatever - a profession dependent on your face becoming known to people - and then be bitter about being recognised? If they don't like it, don't do it - drop out of TV and retrain as an accountant/solicitor/supermarket cashier/whatever - people will soon lose interest.

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They go into it so they can act.

momtoboys · 22/07/2025 19:41

LindorDoubleChoc · 22/07/2025 14:37

In reverse: I had a cup of tea with Keith Allen once and he was really nice and good company, interested in me, easy to chat to.

I don't know her of course but I always thought Ellen would be a good person to be around. What a disappointment she has turned out to be.

I knew someone who had worked on Ellen's talk show production team. He said she was just an awful human being. He swears he has PTSD from the experience.

HunnyPot · 22/07/2025 19:41

ThingsThatMakeYouGoHmmmmmmmmm · 22/07/2025 19:29

Kate Adie. Can't go into details, but without doubt the single most unpleasant person I've ever had to deal with.

I’ve seen her unpleasantness with my own eyes and heard many more stories about her too. Vile woman!

Flumpflimpo · 22/07/2025 19:42

AntiquePenguin · 22/07/2025 18:35

Surely, they know that kind of thing is the price you pay for being famous? Why would people go into television or acting or whatever - a profession dependent on your face becoming known to people - and then be bitter about being recognised? If they don't like it, don't do it - drop out of TV and retrain as an accountant/solicitor/supermarket cashier/whatever - people will soon lose interest.

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They can't realise exactly what it is like until they become famous.

As jim carrey said , he wishes that everyone could be famous, so they could see that its not the answer to all problems.

And matthew perry said that he thought that all his problems would go away when he became famous, but they didnt.

Wishimaywishimight · 22/07/2025 19:43

TheGander · 22/07/2025 19:29

No surprises there then!

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I was in a lift with Jermaine Jackson in The Dorchester Hotel about 15 years ago. He smiled at me 😆

Flumpflimpo · 22/07/2025 19:43

momtoboys · 22/07/2025 19:41

I knew someone who had worked on Ellen's talk show production team. He said she was just an awful human being. He swears he has PTSD from the experience.

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If you look at her eyes, she looks very cruel

HarrietBond · 22/07/2025 19:43

BriceNobeslovesMurielHeslop · 22/07/2025 19:37

Would you?? It’s haunted me 😂. Thank you!

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It is possible she won’t remember. 😂

CustardySergeant · 22/07/2025 19:44

Flicitytricity · 22/07/2025 18:40

I'm so pleased you said Victoria Wood - everyone thinks she was wonderful.
And she was - bloody brilliant, Dinnerladies was , and still is an absolute classic.
But I met her and Una Stubbs on the same day.
VW was nothing short of bloody rude.
I was there to assist her for the day, so not asking for selfish or anything, and this was all day, not an hour long snapshot.
Unable Stubbs, on the other hand was lovely, as was Alan Ayckbourn.

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"Unable Stubbs" 😂 I always thought Una was an unusual name. Now I know it was short for 'unable'. 🤭

NotCrazyAboutIt · 22/07/2025 19:45

AntiquePenguin · 22/07/2025 18:53

Hmm, bet they'd soon be complaining if no one knew who they were.

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Honestly, the ones I know just like pretending to be other people on stage. If it were possible to get good roles and be completely unknown outside of that, I think they’d be up for it. I mean, people asking you for selfies and recognising you all the time isn’t actually at all enjoyable on a Tuesday morning when you’re feeling under the weather and grumpy.

Sidebeforeself · 22/07/2025 19:45

Funnywonder · 22/07/2025 18:50

Why does it make a difference if he’s dead?

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Well cant defend himself for starters (not that he’d be on MN !) .Also just seems a low blow IMO

Justchilling07 · 22/07/2025 19:45

HarrietBond · 22/07/2025 19:30

I know Imelda. I’ll pass it on.

She’s very nice.

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Aww she comes across as a lovely person.Brilliant actress as well.

ByLimeAnt · 22/07/2025 19:45

Lee Evans, very polite.

KimberleyClark · 22/07/2025 19:47

Arlanymor · 22/07/2025 19:33

My dad reminded me of this one… Craig Quinnell. Won’t mean much to you unless you know 1990s rugby union. We were in Paparazzi Bar in Cardiff (doesn’t exist anymore, it was at the end of the Hayes) and it was massively busy on match day. I didn’t ever seem to be able to catch the attention of the bar staff (I was a bit more timid back then!) and then over the top of my head this booming voice said: “I think you’ve missed this girl out - what do you want love?” So I stammered out that I wanted a glass of red and a pint of John Smiths for my father. So he placed my order - PAID for my order! - and then came with me to deliver the drinks to the table and had a chat with my dad. What a legend.

Very happy to hear that. I’ve met Tom Shanklin, really lovely gent.

Flumpflimpo · 22/07/2025 19:48

If i wqs a celebrity i would probably be an asshole too.

It would be hard to be nice to every stranger that comes up to me.

Arlanymor · 22/07/2025 19:48

Wishimaywishimight · 22/07/2025 19:43

I was in a lift with Jermaine Jackson in The Dorchester Hotel about 15 years ago. He smiled at me 😆

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He is a total lamb! I have all the time in the world for him!

lifeonmars100 · 22/07/2025 19:49

BriceNobeslovesMurielHeslop · 22/07/2025 19:26

I once met Danny Boyle in the Selfridges Christmas card section, the year he had directed the OOC. He told me he had done a lot of work in my hometown (Edinburgh- as if I didn’t know). I told him I was a nurse and had been very jealous of the dancing nurses in the GOSH sequence, he was very concerned that it had been very difficult for them to juggle rehearsals around their shifts.
He caught me staring again as he was leaving (I was so star-struck) and gave me a little wave- it was a very sweet interaction.
I accidentally gave Imelda Staunton a dirty look on the Jubilee line, and in a separate incident accidentally alarmed Lin Manuel Miranda’s wife Vanessa Nadal in the Blackfriars underpass. In the unlikely event either of them frequent MN, I would like to apologise.

I've just posted a comment about meeting him too, he was really lovely. We had been to see his Free Your Mind Matrix ballet and he was there in the audience as it was the last performance. Once I had got over being star struck he was just so interesting to talk to about art and politics.

ThisQuirkyAmberMember · 22/07/2025 19:49

Karistyleaftea · 22/07/2025 18:34

Lee Child was lovely, really liked his voice and he came across so well .
He was dealing with some rather silly questions from the audience and responded with such charming answers.
DC met him at another event and confirms he was the same there.

I’ve heard this from a couple of other people that have had some quite long-standing dealings with him. Very down-to-earth, kind & generous…so I think he can definitely go in the ‘good-un’ pile!!!

minsmum · 22/07/2025 19:50

I know someone on this said Alan Yentob wasn't nice but my DH saw him at.a play. He said I think that's Alan Yentob. When the play ended he went over to him. Such a nice man, they had a long chat about the play and then just carried on chatting. I had to go and break it up in the end as we were in danger of missing our train

wisestbee23 · 22/07/2025 19:53

overthinker001 · 22/07/2025 16:22

Jimmy Carr…complete arrogant twat

Have met Jimmy many times over the years after shows, but once we had to wait with him at an alternative entrance to be allowed into David Baddiel's show up at the Edinburgh Fringe and we had a long, chatty conversation with him. The next day, he saw us eating our lunch at Pleasance Courtyard and came over again to chat to us about the show. I've only ever known him to be utterly charming, but feel that is his professional persona and it probably never slips in public.

Arlanymor · 22/07/2025 19:54

KimberleyClark · 22/07/2025 19:47

Very happy to hear that. I’ve met Tom Shanklin, really lovely gent.

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I’ve heard great things about Tom too. Glad that we’ve both had good experiences with Welsh rugby bois!

Arlanymor · 22/07/2025 19:54

KimberleyClark · 22/07/2025 19:47

Very happy to hear that. I’ve met Tom Shanklin, really lovely gent.

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I’ve heard great things about Tom too. Glad that we’ve both had good experiences with Welsh rugby bois!

Catsoverhumansanyday01 · 22/07/2025 19:54

Angela Scanlon - vile horrible woman who looks down on everyone. Totally up herself and obnoxious. Her whole image couldn’t be further from who she really is! Unfortunately I had prolonged exposure to her over the course of a couple of years.

Pinknotpurple · 22/07/2025 19:54

AffIt · 22/07/2025 18:41

Agreed: I always read these kind of threads with one eye closed just in case anybody says anything bad about Michael Palin, because I think that would break my heart.

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I was an extra on a set with Michael Palin and he was a total sweetheart. He sat with me and my mum for lunch and chatted away.

MrsSunshine2b · 22/07/2025 19:54

NotCrazyAboutIt · 22/07/2025 18:27

It probably depends a lot on where you live, and whom you consider famous.

I have no clue who soap or reality ‘stars’ are because I never watch soaps, or influencers, but living in London, even in fairly scuzzy bits. you would just run into people. Anne Marie Duff and James McAvoy (when still a couple) used to shop in our Sainsbury’s, and Peter Capaldi lived a few doors down from a friend in Crouch End. DH’s workplace shared a building with a talent agency, and you would run into Stephen Fry or Fiona Shaw in the lift. Or just pass people on the street. Ian McKellen once stole my taxi. I sat across from Elijah Wood on the Victoria line. I used to get coffee at the same place as Stephen Gately when he was doing Joseph.

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My husband used to work in a petrol station in old Amersham and met loads of celebs, there's lots living around there.

saraclara · 22/07/2025 19:54

Sellenis · 22/07/2025 18:16

God, I wonder if these people realised they were signing up to be a sort of permanent Butlins Redcoat to the world when they got into TV. Sounds awful. Imagine having to be "on" like this all the time - even when you're on your period or your mum is in hospital or you just haven't slept.

That. I'm ignoring the 'met him for 30 seconds'/'saw him in a book signing queue' stuff. For bad or good, those brief interactions are meaningless. I can't imagine every single interaction of mine in Tesco's being forensically judged and reported on. Being anonymous is wonderful.