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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Barbara Windsor

924 replies

Patriciathestripper1 · 14/07/2017 18:08

Apparently the whole country is waiting to celebrate her birthday (according to ITV)
Well Dh certainly isn't!
He was a big fan when he was a lad, and went to see her in a pantomime.
Waiting at the stage door after the show for an autograph with other star struck youngsters, she came out and told them all to Piss Off and clear off home Shock
He said she was the most horrible, rude person and that he never watched her in anything again.
Which celebs have you met that didn't match up to the pedestal you had them on?

OP posts:
gingergenius · 14/07/2017 19:04

On the other hand I remember working backstage in a touring theatre where a member of a popular early evening TV show was performing who thought it funny to be a bit lewd!

uppityupupup · 14/07/2017 19:04

YY to PP about Jeremy Paxman being lovely - I was chaperoning some younger teenagers who were interviewing him.

They came from 'families at risk of social exclusion' and were super nervous, fish out of water in a very pretentious media production company and inexperienced - and it showed

Not only had he given up his time for free - he was really kind and gentle with them and really put them at ease, helped them with their questions and insisted that they were recorded a few times until they got into the swing of it.

They came out super empowered.

As for Paul O' Grady - well , he was bezzies with Cilla no? Birds of a feather and all that...

outrightingrate · 14/07/2017 19:04

A hundred years ago I worked in a salon where Barbara Windsor was a client and she was lovely. Everyone looked forward to her appointments (I think she used to bring us chocolates unless I'm thinking of someone else). I plucked her eyebrows. Smile This was when she was someone who used to be someone (pre-Eastenders) so maybe she was nice then - ?

My dh went to school with Alex James and he, er, doesn't have anything nice to say about him.

mrsheathy85 · 14/07/2017 19:04

dakotaFanny ah bless Terry what a lovely thing to do Halo

gingergenius · 14/07/2017 19:05

Lemmie from Motörhead was lovely!

Namechanger2015 · 14/07/2017 19:05

I did some filming work with Paul Daniels once, and he was lovely - very friendly, charming and had time for everyone. Some kids spotted him and he went over and signed autographs, took pics etc. I was really sad to hear when he had died.

lovemycatsanddog · 14/07/2017 19:06

A friend of my daughters was on Deal or No Deal
I bumped into her at a hospital appointment and said i would love to have met Noel Edmonds as i always liked him, she said a was a horrible man
I love Bradley Walsh, so disappointed hes not as nice as i would have thought

rabbitnothare · 14/07/2017 19:07

I'm quite judgmental about people who are rude to those in service jobs

Me too, it's very revealing.

Felicity Kendall is lovely, Gordon Ramsey I found very reserved and not arrogant as I expected.
Will self, nice, Princess Anne was very rude to the policeman looking after her.

That's my contribution.

user1497435493 · 14/07/2017 19:07

I know someone who worked on X factor a few years back, and she said Dermot O'Leary is an arrogant knob. He is full of himself, and this one time, she was just tootling around the studio, and he said 'cheer up love - it might never happen.'

Twat.

I am not keen on him anyway, but that reinforced what I thought of him.

rabbitnothare · 14/07/2017 19:08

So upset about Nigel Havers being rude Sad

JustadaftProfessor · 14/07/2017 19:09

I used to Email Paul Daniels Namechanger2015 always took the time to answer, and would end most trying to get me to get 'the young people' to email the BBC and get the Paul Daniels Magic show repeated.

Very nice though.

NancyDonahue · 14/07/2017 19:09

Awww RIP Terry Wogan. I remember when he died people were calling in to Radio 2 with stories about his kindness, particularly those who worked 'beneath' him throughout his career, he always made them feel valuef. It felt like the world had lost something unique and special. (On the Pimm's so getting a bit slushy!)

Justhadmyhaircut · 14/07/2017 19:09

Saw Sue Pollard in a pub in Newcastle and she acted like she owned the place. . .

NancyDonahue · 14/07/2017 19:10

Ah yes a friend of mine met Paul Daniels and Debbie Mcgee and said they were both lovely.

IHaveCausedConfusionAndDelay · 14/07/2017 19:12

I'd forgotten about Brian May! My ds has ASD and often doesn't speak for days. He is however obsessed with all things train. Last summer we went to our local steam train and ds shot off to the little model railway room. I caught him up a couple of minutes later to find him deep in conversation about The Flying Scotsman with some guy. I watched him, feeling really proud he felt brave enough to talk to a stranger. It was only after a couple of minutes that I realised it was Brian May! When he left he told me what a lovely, clever boy ds was. I wrote a letter to his fan club afterwards as I was so pleased.

SukiTheDog · 14/07/2017 19:12

Peter Kaye. A few years ago, I was at a village cricket match and he was there. He was really off with some kids who asked for his autograph and wanted to chat with him. It was after the "Amarillo" video for charity so, he was massively popular. It WAS his day off but he was in no way gracious.

BattleaxeGalactica · 14/07/2017 19:13

I fucking hate Barbara Windsor. She's loaded but she still has to push gambling at the vulnerable. Ditto Ray Winstone Angry Angry

The school I was at used to send the choir to sing carols on Blue Peter every year. Apparently Valerie Singleton was vile while John Noakes (always my favourite) was lovely.

Caprianna · 14/07/2017 19:13

This is my contribution-

Can also confirm Liv Tyler to be lovely and very unassuming in RL (know her a little bit from school events)

The Beckham children are very nice and polite (gossip from teacher friend)

winglesspegasus · 14/07/2017 19:13

in late 70's and early 80's worked security detail for theater that was a rock venue/had alot of one on one because of this.
met alot of the big names
most were very nice(or too stoned )
even then ozzy was sweet.
the 2 stand outs were
gene simmons yuck yuck and yuck

and frank zappa and the entire band
were the nicests funniest bunch of musicians i ever met.

would insert my rock on imoji but it wont cooperate

Oldbutstillgotit · 14/07/2017 19:14

Lulu was obnoxious when I tried to speak to her in a store in London. She was also rude to a friend who was interviewed for the post of nanny for her son. Cilla Black was snotty to another friend. On the other hand Zoe Ball was lovely to DD when she bumped into her .

delftblue · 14/07/2017 19:15

Have also heard stories of Barbara Windsor being very rude to fans. Who do these people think they are?

uppityupupup · 14/07/2017 19:16

Just trying to think of my chaperoning celeb encounters who were lovely:
James Norton, Emilia Fox, Jimmy Carr, Nick Cave, Steve Wright, (Radio 2) - oh Carol Kirkwood is darling, there'll be more if I have a think.

I hate to base 'not-lovely' on one-off experiences as I'm sure if you catch me on a bad day then... but did not enjoy Martin Freeman or Seann Walsh, nope

JustKeepDancing · 14/07/2017 19:16

I used to work in a hotel as a student and met a variety of folk - although they were mostly fairly minor celebs.
Damien Hirst - really lovely, and tipped well!
Sanjeev Bhaskar and Meera Syall - both lovely.
Paolo Nutini - rude.
Sean Connery - rude.
Duncan Jones - David Bowie's son, the filmmaker - really nice.
Alex Salmond - rude. Made my colleague cry!
Romola Garai - rude and left a massive mess.
Roseanne Cash - was lovely. My colleague got a bit star struck and she spent ages chatting about her parents.
Jennifer Coolidge - also really lovely.
Jamie Winston & Alfie Allen - she was awful, he was lovely.
Lawrence Dellaglio - lovely, and the tallest person I've ever met!

I've met quite a lot of bands as well through a relative who is a musician and generally speaking, the more famous (or talented!) are, the nicer they've been... I suspect the two things are related. If you're nice to people, they'll help you out!

OverTheHammer · 14/07/2017 19:16

Just remembered a couple more -

Noel Gallagher, seemed nice enough, shook DHs hand but seemed a bit bewildered and wary about a fully grown man being so star struck 😂

Jools Holland was a nob. All laughter and smiles until his show finished and then literally dropped his face the minute the cameras stopped rolling and walked out ignoring anyone asking for a handshake or autograph. At one point he snapped "I'm sorry, can you just move out the way? I'm leaving!"

PoorYorick · 14/07/2017 19:17

Ooh yes, Zoe Ball. Met her once, she was wearing tight trousers and a cropped top and looked stunning. I was an overweight teenager, very shy and told her I wished I looked like her. She told me I was gorgeous and shouldn't want to look like anyone but myself. Angel.