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?

Yes I heard that about Peter Kay and was so disappointed. My DP works with someone who used to work very closely with Peter Kay.

YY to David Tennant and his wife Georgia Moffat. Met them at a family wedding and they were delightful.

And indeed George Michael was a fabulous human being having met him a few times. Extremely sweet.

And also Michael Palin, just exactly as you would expect him to be. All twinkly and lovely.

Had a lovely long chat with Tony Hadley once at a Who gig. He was very funny.

Most recently Matt Willis after seeing him in Little Shop of Horrors. He was happy to pose for a photo and was very sweet to my 5 year old daughter.

Cliff Richard wasn’t as nice as I had hoped. Rather dismissive.
But the rest of the Shadows especially Bruce and Brian are lovely.

I get about a bit as you can tell

Oh wow Rudgie that's disappointing!!

The Take That boys are always lovely when I've met them, particularly Mark as he is often the first to come out to fans or stay the longest. I met him aged 14 and just cried and he was really so lovely about it.

Not met Robbie so can't comment on him.

You only had to watch the documentary made about Elton John by his husband to see that he is not a very nice man.

Fluffy I'm disappointed about Marcus! I love masterchef the professionals. Did your friend comment on Monica?

I need to know more MC secrets. I know they eat the food cold/room temp but I have so many more questions!!

yes I was eating out with family and saw Peter Kay, we got on with our meal and when they'd finished my partner quietly asked to have a quick pic with him, he said no and the rest of his party tutted and rolled their eyes at us.
i think we were polite enough to not disturb during dinner and he could've at least smiled or said Hi to us!

Met year ago through working on holiday parks
Keith Harris - lovely guy
Chuckle Brothers - absolute arses, rude to staff and even the kids, late on stage and felt the need to have a bouncer at a small caravan park in South Wales!

I like Elton John 😭😭😭😭😭😭

A bloke bumped into me as I was leaving a shop one day, apologised politely & checked I was OK. It wasn't until he'd gone that I realised he was Alan Davies.

I've met Janice Turner a couple of times - not a celebrity I know but someone I have massive respect for - and she was lovely. Very friendly & chatty. I liked Julie Bindel when I met her too.

Peter Kay comes across as so friendly on stage....what a shame he like that in RL

Julie Bindel can be a total arse.

Marc Almond knocked my mate over on his moped he was an arse about it apparently.

My only contact with a "celebrity" was doing a keep fit routine with Mr Motivator as a kid. He was very pleasant

Martin Clunes with his Clydesdales, Lovely, funny man, really into his horses.
Phillipa Braithewaite.much prettier in RL, amazing eyes.
William Fox-Pitt, almost too charming.
Nils Lofgren, afraid I swooned a little.
Lemmy, at a Dr Who exhibition, with our youngest son, absolutely lovely to him.
Brian May and Anita Dobson, when son was a very cute toddler. Anita was very taken with him,Brian just smiled.

The only person I've ever asked for an autograph (for my DS) was Ieuan Evans, the Welsh Rubgy player.
I have to say he was absolutely charming, a lovely man. Sorry Op!

Donny Osmond has been my idol since I was a young girl, I recently met him after a concert in Liverpool and he was absolutely lovely.
He chatted to myself and my daughter and posed for pictures, he was so nice

@sosmooth But it's balance, surely? Yes, someone is in the public eye as an entertainer but it doesn't mean they have to constantly be "on" for everyone. You felt you were being polite because you at least waiting until he'd finished eating, but you forget that a lot of these people will get that every single time they try and eat out. You may have been the fourth person that day already. How would you like to be bothered by strangers every day when you're just trying to get on with your daily life? I think you'd get fed up if every time you were in a restaurant you were gawped at, people wanting their photo taken with you, or an autograph. They aren't public property.

Vincent Price used to always give an autograph whenever he was asked, wherever he was. Sometimes he'd be out and whatever he wanted to do took three times as long as a result. He would only refuse on one day of the year - his daughter's birthday because he felt it only fair she got him as "Dad" on her birthday so that she was centre of attention and not him. This made his daughter feel very special indeed. But of course he also got people having a go at him when he politely declined and said why. They can't win.

we got on with our meal and when they'd finished my partner quietly asked to have a quick pic with him, he said no and the rest of his party tutted and rolled their eyes at us

I don't think he owes you that tbf. After a show or something if different but asking for photos when they're just out with friends is rude.

I've been lucky, the few celebs I've met have all been nice! But mostly wanted to say how happy I am to see David Tennant mentioned as lovely by several posters, I'd be heartbroken if it turned out he was a dick!

Another vote for Michael Palin being lovely too, I have a friend who worked for a company he'd regularly order from and everytime he got in touch he'd ask how everyone was doing and what they'd all been up to

I've never met my idols.....

But I did encounter Matt Lucas at an event and he was a hideous diva. This was at the height of Shooting Stars and so he'd just become very well known. We were in the backstage area, (it was a live music event) and so some of us were floating around (my OH was in one of the bands). No-one was harassing him, but he was behaving like they were. I think he was a bit put out that we all werent awestruck at his prescence.

Another person who’s happy to see that David Tennant is lovely!!!

Craig Revel Horwood was absolutely lovely to me (I was smashed and at a theatre do, think he assumed I was an actor or something because there weren’t any members of the public there except me), really kind and funny.

Simon Amstell was really sweet.

Iwan Rheon from Game of Thrones and Misfits was really cool too.

I once posted on a forum that I didn't enjoy an authors latest book (fantasy author who leans heavily on stealing historical societies on which to base his made up ones), which I felt was a real shame because I had loved every other book they had ever written.
The author came on to tell me I obviously lacked the education to understand his story & that his target audience was intelligent people.
Never bought another book by that guy ever again.

Terry Pratchett on the other hand, who I met many years ago when he used to turn up to audiences of 8 people in the local library on his book tours, (think it was for Mort) was every bit as charming as his characters.

I met an author I'd admired 3 times before he died. (All at organised events) The first time he was very polite and gracious to all. The second time he was slightly snappy and the third time he was in a grump. The second time his father had recently died and the event was near his parents house so I can imagine he was more stressed. The third time was just before his diagnosis of a serious illness was announced.

Not an idol but at the time a massive deal where I'm from I met Eddie the eagle Edwards. He was lovely. Despite being dragged around every single school in the county (and ones surrounding) to explain his routes and how he got to where he was.

I met Jan Michael Vincent when at uni. Having been a massive massive airwolf fan the disappointment was huge - irrationally so, even then I knew it was irrational! He was totally off his head on god knows what and shouting at everyone.

I played pool in a pub lock in for hours with some of the cast of red dwarf who were performing at my uni and never even realised! I'd assumed they were a tribute act!! I made a comment about how annoying it must be getting mistaken for famous people all the time. Ffs. I was mortified after!

My friend (male) slept with Stephen gately before he came out and got paid (a lot) to keep his mouth shut - he was a total nightmare but I think that was down to being forced to hide his sexuality and being unable to do so and the shame he was put through for it before coming out.

There's no way I'd ever approach a celebrity when they were just going about their business - that is so rude. If I'm introduced to someone or working with them, I expect them to be friendly and professional but other than that I'd never expect someone to humour me just because I wanted to talk them. They have a life - they're not public property!

I've heard Craig R.H. is lovely to all fans.

I don't normally approach 'famous' people if I spot them, but I did see a footballer from my favourite team at a theme park recently with his wife and daughter, and I did ask if he would be OK to have a photo taken with my DC..he very graciously obliged and I thanked him extensively..I didn't want to take up any more of his time than was necessary!. The amusing thing was that nobody else recognised him ( think Northern team championship player miles away from his ' home' area down south )., so I reckon I was the only one to hassle him that day.

Also saw Alice Lowe, indie film director and star of 'Sightseers' and 'Prevenge' with her little girl at the Southbank where the sand pit play area is. As much of a huge fan my partner is, we just felt we couldn't disturb her even just to say how much we enjoyed her work. Sometimes it's not just appropriate is it?