To think it must be terrifying and shite to be a celebrity?

[ReActiv]

Oh my god.

Just watching random videos on Youtube earlier and ended up on celeb interviews and then on to this paparazzi compilation thing (such as the trail of Youtube videos goes. At least it wasn't Cat Corner I got lost in this time).

Anyway. It just shows countless celebrities being absolutely hounded by these annoying little shits with cameras. The flashing lights were blinding, and i was behind my computer screen! No wonder celebs are notorious for wearing sunglasses. And they were doing it even when the celebrities had their children in their arms! The guys (and yes, it always appeared to be guys) did not care at all. They were surrounding the celebrities, cameras right in their faces, asking inappropriate and personal questions etc. Trying to get the children to talk. Addressing the children and going "Awwwwww someone's sleepy" when they started to cry. No - they're crying because a dozen yelling strange men are surrounding them and upsetting their parents while hurting their little eyes with endless camera flashes!

And most of these people were on their own with no security/entourage. Clearly just trying to go about their business. How scary must that be! Trying to pop to the shops and then being harassed by strange men with cameras asking about your sex life in the middle of the street.

Most celebrities seem to just walk by and ignore (though still looking really pissed off and/or scared) but others tried to reason with the paparazzi e.g. "I'm happy to talk to you, just not when I have my kids with me" , or "Sorry, I'm not up to talking today" and the bastards just keep on pestering them! One stopped and posed for the cameras, then nicely asked for them to leave her alone as they already had their shot and then they went on and took about another hundred pictures.

And the paparazzi were also seen to be egging on fans to approach the celebs for an autograph, even when the celeb had already declined to (nicely). Then when the fans get turned away, the paparazzi tries to guilt trip the celeb for upsetting the fans. Jesus. I saw one with the guy from One Direction. Looked like a very late night or early morning flight. Only two air stewardesses guiding him through. Then placed him and his pal in a wee space with a barrier rope around it to deter the paparazzi. But they were still shouting over and sending fans over etc.

I am appalled. I honestly had no idea the celeb life was like that. I thought it was all glitz and glamour and money. But it looks downright terrifying. Makes me appreciate my privacy so much more.

[ApocalypseSlough]

Robbie Williams said its like being bombarded with ping pong balls- not painful but constantly distracting.

[eyebrowsonfleek]

I was thinking about celebrity breakdowns being documented these days. I think that there are celebrities who are quickly heading towards a huge crash- for example Sophia Richie and Lindsay Lohan. I cringe for them that we are seeing all these images and supposed words on social media and that they need help away from the limelight (ideally from more involved parents)

[LikeDylanInTheMovies]

I think there was this ludicrous expectation on the part of a class publicity hungry celebrities that started with Diana that you could have press attention when you wanted and then expect no press attention when it didn't suit you as you didn't have anything to leak, promote or get yourself on the front of the tabloids. You can use them, to further your career but you can't turn them off like a switch.

If you call the press up when you are doing the school run in your new fashion range, don't be surprised when they are hanging outside a nightclub when you're being sick in the street. If they play along with the show Nance you and your publicists have cooked up, you've made your love life public property and when they want to report on an ugly breakup or your latest trip to a brothel, don't be outraged. You held your lovelife up to public scrutiny in the first place.

I have great sympathy for people who get thrust into the public spotlight against their will as someone up thread gas mentioned the Dowlers. But for fame hungry wannabes using the press for their own ends one minute then crying press intrusion the next, very little indeed.

[MrBoot]

I feel sorry for the children of celebs, not the celebs themselves.

Some of their parent's actively court publicity, it keeps them in the gossip columns and their children help them to do so. Suri Cruise is regularly paraded in front of paps under the guise of giving her a 'normal life'. Who determines that popping into Starbucks whilst being screamed at by photographers is giving her a normal existence. In comparison, the Jolie Pitts kids are rarely seen which has to be commented on seeing as their parents manage to keep the lives of six (or seven?) of them relatively private? (or at least only divulging certain issues in rehearsed interviews). They appear to be photographed at airports or at premieres only.

[BathshuaSpooner]

I save my sympathy for people who are hungry, homeless or victims of violent crime.

[Galdos]

I don't know any celebrities, but being a 'celebrity' has often involved media exposure: think Marilyn Monroe, or, further back, Marlene Dietrich or Betty Grable. It's a hazard of fame. To avoid it you need to manage it, like (say) Harrison Ford

[EddieStobbart]

I do feel sorry for JK Rowling. I think she has permanent security. She'a just continuing to do her job and it's not usually one that would end up with such a high profile. I have no idea what the man who wrote the "Wimpy Kid" books looks like and I don't think it's because she went out of her way to court fame.

[Anonymouses]

Sometimes they encourage it, (you will notice certain Celebs get hounded more than others) but I agree it must be shit.

Mostly it's the celebrities who do stupid shit that get followed though. The ones who just live quiet boring a lives outside work get ignored after a while.

Being recognised and bugged by fans increases with fame level though and is uncontrollable.

[TheCuriousOwl]

They might not always be papped but I can vouch from first hand experience that if you're 'known' you will always get people who think it's ok to invade personal space and time, sometimes being quite aggressive and intimidating. Not all 'celebs' have loads of security and it can be quite scary sometimes. I'm not famous btw!! But sometimes have cause to be with people who are.

[Yorkieheaven]

Rowling does get involved in issues though and politics. She's just released another play. She doesn't need to. She choose to. That's the difference. Good on her but don't feel sorry for her. It's her choice. It wasn't ours and it's not countess other 'non celebs' either

[EddieStobbart]

I feel sorry for people like JK Rowling. The "successful author" part would have been very welcome but how many people end up with that level of fame from writing some kids books? She seems like a very private person (Twitter account excepted) but even without being flashy her level of fame must have some restrictions.

[Vickyyyy]

I have sympathy for kids/family member/friend who are stalked as their mother/family member/friend is famous, not for the celebs themselves. UNLESS, the person is an 'unintentional' celebrity. Someone who sets out to be famous or has a job where limelight is expected...no.

[Yorkieheaven]

Nope they ain't hungry, scared, cold, destitute or jobless so no think they will cope.

The sight of the stupid sienna Miller etc bitching about press intrusion when she has no talent and courted publicity made me sick actually.

As a family we were suddenly in the middle of a huge media circus not of our making and involving our child. It was quite horrendous and dreadful and the press behaved appallingly but we hadn't courted it. It happened.

My sympathy is with us ordinary people suddenly thrust into the headline news, people like the kardashians want it.

[NapQueen]

Adele is arguably one of the most famous British women. She is papped once in a blue moon. In the last year I've seen one picture of her exiting a restaurant and one of her at Disney world. That's it.

If celebs want privacy in their downtime they can have it. The ones you see want it.

[SaucyJack]

When did anyone last see a picture of Aimee Osbourne on a celeb gossip website?

[EachandEveryone]

I bet Meryl Streep doesn't get hounded like that or Dustin Hoffman infact most A listers with genuine who don't court scandal probably just get of with their life's.

[Nataleejah]

There are plenty of celebs who will never appear in tabloids, and we'll never hear much about their personal lives.
Those who wash their laundry in public - they make money from it.

[Wigglewogglewoo]

I'm sure it is but I have no sympathy for people like the kardashions who are just famous for living their lives.

[eyebrowsonfleek]

I have a lot of sympathy for the kind da. I saw a pic of Suri Cruise and her mum but it was from behind so you could see what Suri sees. Gobsmacked how tall the wall of photographers were and shocked that mags would comment that she never smiles/looks grumpy. I think she's coped fabulously well considering how in your face these photographers are.

I understand why the paparazzi go after the famous people. There's serious money if you get the right shot and there seems to be an unquenchable thirst for pics of anyone vaguely famous.

[Shenanagins]

I do feel sorry for some of them, especially if they have their kids with them, however we are part of the problem as by buying the magazines etc we are contributing to the market.

[maninawomansworld01]

I have to say my sympathy is incredibly limited.
The idea of the modern 'celebrity' , with all the paparazzi , scandal and money really started back, in the 1950's which means that virtually all of today's celebs knew what they were getting into when they wtarted out down that road.
Taylot Swift for example isn't even 25 years old! She knew exactly what was in store for her should she 'make it' .
Despite knowing this she chose to pursue her chosen career and now earns tens of millions of dollars every year by singing. Not bad if you ask me!
There are also plenty of high calibre 'celebrities' who have amazing careers, earn loads and are not routinely hounded . Why? Because they're essentially normal, boring people outside of their 'work' life and don't generally go falling out of nightclubs wearing next to nothing while high on whatever narcotics they could get their hands on that night.
Instead they go home to their families, walks the dogs and have dinner like normal civilised people.

To use another example, Kanye West has done his share of crazy stuff to keep,himself in the limelight, so he really can't complain about a few paps outside his mansion.

My sympathy is reserved not for celebs but for ordinary folks who find themselves caught up in a media storm through no fault of their own - like Millie Dowlers family or the McCanns

[FanDabbyFloozy]

I think it depends on the degree of same. Kanye - awfully intrusive; minor UK celeb - a few perks?

I know a minor UK celeb who seems to have a nice balance. Their family life is private, no-one hassles them at all, and they get invited to lovely things. But maybe that is a hard balance to achieve.

[PortiaFinis]

I was hanging out in Soho when a very famous woman got out of a car for an event she was attending - we were immediately barged out of the way by paps, who to be fair, shouted apologies over their shoulders. They called to her and took loads of photos. She looked amazing - so beautiful. As she walked in one turned away and said quite audibly "fucking hell - she looks rough"

YANBU OP, it must be shit.

[Champagneformyrealfriends]

Saucy Taylor is blatant-she stares right down the camera lens.

It's my idea of hell-one celebrity I feel really sorry for is Kendall Jenner. She is frightened of paps and is only famous because she has a mother who publicised her life. Most models can live relatively privately but she doesn't stand a chance.

[SaucyJack]

Being Taylor Swift obviously isn't Taylor Swift's idea of torture- or she wouldn't be phoning the paps every time she goes outside to pop the bins out.

It's all a game. It's very easy to drop out of the spotlight should you no longer desire to be a player.