Meeting Your Idols and Being Disappointed

[strawberrisc]

Today I almost met somebody who has been a big figure in my life. It took ages to pluck up the courage to speak to them and I was totally dismissed. I wasn’t being a “gushing fan” and it was a setting that was laid back. Everyone else was lovely. Have tou ever met someone you admire and wish you hadn’t?

@MissMarplesKnitting aww that's good to hear. All of those Academy Awards and BAFTAs and he's still a normal bloke queueing for his Easyjet flight to Bristol!

Met Andy Serkis at ComicCon in the elevator to the hotel and he was just lovely as could be.Expectations met.

Friend of mine was birdwatching somewhere in the wilds when Bill Oddie hoved over the horizon. It is quite normal to ask if anything interesting is flying about in such circumstances apparently. Bill Oddie being a fellow birdwatcher so my friend asked him just that. He threw a strop and told my friend to F off, could he have no peace as a VIP etc etc.

Alan Dale from Lost, but this was in his Neighbours 80s time.. lovely but a very odd encounter. I think he mistook me for someone he knew (little 17 yr old nobody student me) In fact all the Neighbours cast from then were lovely , apart from Paul Keane (Des) and Kylie depending on what day you got her on (mentioned earlier)

I had a DP who worked in same building as Esther Rantzen and she was loathed by everyone . He met everyone you can think of and she was def the worst. Everyone will come out with the same spiel 'ah but she does so much for Childline' and yes it's true...but it doesn't mean she's a pleasant person. As mentioned before, I worked with Angela Rippon and they're definitely of the same ilk

DP used to work for Fish, but I met Fish quite a few times years before that, he's a lovely and hilarious, larger than life character, Steve Hogarth is lovely too, prefer SH's voice but Fish def has the personality, could tell a few funny stories but DP may well work with him again!

Steve Hackett is probably the friendliest and most accommodating to fans that I've ever met. He admits he loves meeting them, his wife is adorable too

Donny Osmond - lovely , ditto Cliff Richard and Rick Wakeman who is hilarious
John Peel was one of my idols and he didn't disappoint. He always reminded me of a favourite uncle. Just very normal and avuncular.
Gillian Taylforth..as lovely, bubbly and friendly as could be, met many times, always a sweetie, whereas her then partner Nick Berry could be fairly aloof

@FrankieChips, lovely to hear that about Noel. He always seems so kind and gentle. Sounds like what we see on Bake Off is the real Noel :)

Dicks - Sharleen Spiteri

Also my analysis. Though DH and I met her at the same time and she chatted away to him but was off with me. DH therefore disagrees with my view. Maybe I’m the dick (not beyond the realms)

Not my idol but I was impressed by Richard Cadell who is the current Sooty presenter. Saw The Sooty Show (very funny) with my DD at my local theatre and afterwards he stayed in the foyer for ages with Sooty doing photos with every child. My little girl is quite shy and he was patient and nice and she came away delighted.

My friend met Andy from CBeebies at an event with her little girl a couple of years ago. He was also apparently lovely and great with her daughter.

I used to do work for Stanley Kubrick , not on actual film set but related to his films and also personal stuff
Quiet, scruffy, eccentric in the extreme, a nice man (and genius). Somewhere I've got handwritten notes in my parents loft

I've met Marcus Wareing a couple of times and he is lovely - charming, polite, smiley and lovely sparkling blue eyes!

David Jason was utterly vile to my two daughters. Never met such a rude and nasty person.

Miriam Margolyes was a rude cow on both of the occasions I met her, but she was never an idol of mine so I don't particularly care. It does amuse me when people fawn over her being strong and witty, when really she is just rude.

I’m so glad to hear Martin Clunes is lovely. One of my favourite ever moments is him being in complete hysterics when Julian Clary said he’d been fisting Norman Lamont at the TV Comedy Awards (nearly ending his career). Sad to hear Peter Kay might be a dick. Heard LOADS of stories about how vile Cilla was but sadly they’ve erected a statue of her in Liverpool and there’s a touring stage show. Glad to hear that Olivia Coleman is lovely. My sister would be very jealous of the person who met Nathan frim Brother Beyond! 🤣

I’ve known Craig the first BB winner since we were kids, I’m surprised he was off with pp

I met Ken Livingstone on holiday in Corfu. He was there with his family and a heap of grandkids. He was lovely, so friendly and chatty and just ... well ... very normal.
Were on the same EasyJet flight going over then kept bumping into him around the town we were staying in. He always stopped to speak to us.

I posted earlier about a few I've met but my favourite is quite niche.

Jonah Lomu.

Polite, friendly, gorgeous and surprisingly graceful!
R.I.P

I’ve met quite a few through work, no one I’ve properly idolised though.
Kym Marsh is lovely and normal.. I accidentally snubbed her myself by not paying attention when she said hello so maybe there’s a thread somewhere where famous people say how rude certain members of the public are

I’ve also met some right dickheads, mostly footballers I’m not going to lie. Luckily I hate football. There’s one footballer though who is absolutely gorgeous, great father, beautiful wife who he dotes on, polite, friendly, kind and compassionate. I will be a bit sad if I see his name in the paper with a dirty story I must admit, it will kill another little part of me

Certain members of a very very famous boyband are complete dickheads

Yothepussy I've often heard that about Bill Oddie - he seems to be renowned for being a grumpy git.

I have also met Paxo - he was nice and very open and chatty. Not at all intimidating. And I had the "OMG I know you but I can't remember know where from" moment with JUSTIN FLETCHER and gave him a big, overcompensatory smile and said "Hi!!!" like I'd known him all my life . He just did it right back and waved - what a pro :o

It has been well documented that Bill Oddie suffers with bi polar and clinical depression.

I didn't know that, but loads of people celeb and otherwise have those issues, but don't necessarily tell fans to F off. Stephen Fry for example. You can have MH issues and also have a grumpy temperament, or not.

My parents lived near Esther Rantzen for a bit and said she was an irritating nosy parker! Really tried to "make an impact" locally and was seen as an interfering nuisance.

DM has never been able to stand Angela Rippon, either. Always said she was probably the sort of child that your parents thought was wonderful and never believed used to pinch you when no one was looking. She was quite pleased to see the dislike of the old cowbag on here!

A colleague used to work at F&M and would often see Cilla going into a club round there when he was out on a fag break. She once asked him for a hand getting downstairs into the bar as she was frail & couldn't see well. He obliged & would often help her if he saw her after that. He said she was always lovely to him because she wanted something but I bet it would have been a different story if he saw her in store. He's the only person I know who's ever said a nice word about her! She's usually acknowledged to have been a monster. As is Lulu.

Lulu apparently told my mother I was the most beautiful baby she had ever seen. So I think she is wonderful.

I know someone who met Benedict Cumberbatch through work and he was apparently rude to her. Her assessment was that he's 'up himself'. I was crushed as I rather love him. So I'm pleased to hear the nice stories here. Maybe he was just having an off day?

Re: Graham Norton being just as he is on TV, I'd say he's a bit quieter although definitely very nice. I met him once – albeit about 12 years ago and in a room full of people – and he looked genuinely shocked when he walked in and saw loads of us all waiting to see/meet him. He got walked round the room to meet people and was a bit shy at first, but he was chatty, warm and charming. I've always liked him since then for showing a bit of vulnerability and humility.

Oh no, @Opheliasgoldenwine! Thanks for the Tea.... I thought Jinkx was lovely! I thought maybe her narcolepsy was getting to her but she sounds like a right nob! I've heard Pearl is difficult. Sasha Velour is meant to be an angel, a few girls I know worked with her on her last tour. A friend of mine did the photography for Monet the other week too - all good things.

Glad Alan Rickman & Stanley Tucci were /are lovely too!