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

[Moodershewrote]

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!

Oxford has actually some very deprived areas but I am sure EW didn't grow up in them!

I haven't met them personally, but I've read about how Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder were dismissive towards their fans at their own meet and greet sessions. Multiple people shared stories about how they didn't even look them them or said hi, how they would continue talking to each other only stopping to take a quick photo, etc. I love The Vampire Diaries, but this made me feel very dissapointed. Why have a paid meet and greet if you don't want to be there, after all? Fans might as well make Photoworks photo montages with you and pretend they've met you instead of standing there unnoticed.

I've not heard of it so it must have been a while ago. It's a couple of villages away from ours. My g, children go to school in Exton. 68 pupils in the school.
Sorry to go off piste..
Not all in Rutland are posh, I am the proof.

Thanks for making me laugh.

The thing is - even if a celebrity is nice and friendly to the fans it doesn’t say anything about what they are like irl.

The guy was an arrogant arse from what I remember but he put on a bloody good convention! I’m glad he’s still running events.

Maybe he was seasick? Or not feeling well for another reason?

That isn't suprising he just comes over as an absolute brat !

my dh used to live near ricky tomilinson for a while said he was horrible to his kids shout swear and hit them frequently

My dad (went in the 60s, grew up in an overcrowded tenement, first of his family to stay in education past 15). Oxford was only possible because he went to grammar school, which spotted his academic ability, and you got uni fees paid, plus digs and food. Them were the days.

Emma W has always come across to me like a Mean Girl type.

I have never met him, but I am going to defend Michael Sheen.

He is beloved in his home town of Port talbot. It’s a very deprived area and he continues to quietly do a great deal of charity work, practical support to local organisations, promoting and defending the town.

i know a lot of people that knew him when he was younger and he is consistently reported to have been decent, kind - a good person. No side to him at all. He not superior to and happily chats to everyone.

His parents - just his mum now, are highly thought of and again, nice kind people who have always been well known and liked. No secrets in Port talbot!

I know so many people who either know him / knew him/ have met him etc and no one has ever had a bad word to say. And I do think it’s relevant that his parents are lovely people and he was well known to have been a lovely child and teenager.

That being said, he is passionate about his acting, and I can imagine him being a bit challenging to work with if he is a perfectionist!

That's lovely to hear @CatherineCawoodsbestie , thank you for sharing 💗

I had a colleague who worked on a project with Clinton and said exactly the same - unbelievably charming and charismatic, does that thing of laser focussing on whoever he’s talking to and making them feel like the most important person in the room. She was a totally unflappable businesswoman, very professional and highly qualified in her field, but she was like a giddy teenager with mentionitis over ‘Bill’. 100% would have knobbed him given the opportunity 😂

This does not surprise me.

My daughter met her in a pub in London. She was there having Sunday lunch with her friends.She was friendly and interested in dd. Bought her a drink and sang Happy Birthday to her

Ricky Tomlinson is a creep. He had a 17 year old girlfriend when he was 49.

Ricky Tomlinson is a creep. He had a 17 year old girlfriend when he was 49

I didn't know this. What was the story?

@Timeforaname I always think Fred Siriex seems a bit slimy with some of the younger women on First Dates

Someone mentioned Michael Rosen. He's great! I've met him a few times at education events and he's so ordinary and yet genius and genuinely friendly and interested in talking to people. Exactly how he seems on his Word of Mouth programme on radio 4.

I know a couple of people who have met Colleen Rooney. Both said she was lovely. She donated gifts signed by Wayne to a charity event one of them was holding.

I’m always surprised that James Cordon never gets positive responses. I really like his comedy.

That's so good to hear. He always comes over well - I'd be devastated if it was all an act!

Can you say more? I'm interested because I know a few people who've met her and even worked with her, and they all think she's lovely - very down to earth and treats everyone the same. She's basically a shy, private woman who's now in the public eye massively, so not an easy role.

I'd be really interested, though, to hear what she did or said that was rude! (I'm just an old gossip...)

It was his best friend’s stepdaughter. It was in his autobiography. Put me right off him. Along with the fact he was a member of the National Front.

If threads like this prove anything, it's that people who are really good at what they do are not necessarily pleasant or likeable people. Look at the many posts on this very thread about Steve Coogan, who is a far better actor than James Corden. Charles Dickens treated his wife abominably but was still one of the greatest writers who's ever put pen to paper. Jane Austen had a very sharp tongue and would probably not have done well on a thread like this if MN had been around in the early 1800s.

I think it’s likely that the proportion of narcissistic personalities among successful performers is higher than in the general population. As well as being able to assess quickly who can be of use to them and to discard those who aren’t, narcissists thrive on attention and adulation. But they are also deeply insecure.

I’m not saying that all celebrities are narcissists - just that that particular personality type lends itself to success in performing and self-promoting professions, especially where you are working with new people all the time and don’t need to sustain long term or deep personal relationships.