Encounters with celebrities

Knopfler, of course!

When DH and I were “courting”, we used to go to a pub in Mill Hill (it was my local) which was frequented by Roger Moore (it was his local too, and Patrick McGoohan’s) in his days as The Saint, before his career really took off. He was often sitting in a corner by the bar with a pint, reading his newspaper. No one stared or bothered him.

Back in the day DH worked in London theatres with the greatest - Deborah Kerr, Maggie Smith, Vanessa Redgrave, Ian Carmichael, Ben Kingsley, Dave Allen, Rex Harrison, Christopher Reeve etc and I used to go along to opening night and after show parties. DH used to play cards with some of them back stage. Dave Allen gave us a lovely wedding gift.
Chefs Michel Roux, Angela Hartnett, Michael Caine and Monica Galetti - the latter showed us round her kitchen and her French husband Davide told us all about his amazing wine selection.
Through our children's schools - Jennifer Saunders and Ade, Pierce Brosnan, Nigel Mansell and more.
Martin Clunes had a chat about our dog in Port Isaac last year.
I am interested in celebrities as people, especially if that's the world you move in, but I am neither obsessed nor in awe of them.
One or two not on that list were rude and too full of themselves.

Dick Emery spoke to me in the audience when he was opening a fete in a nearby village. Have a photo of him holding the mic out to me.

Jasper Carratt came into my bank one day, I didn’t serve him, my colleague rushed to get rid of her customer and got in first.

Princess Alexandra waved to me passing in her car.

I know, I move in exalted circles.

Dave Guest off North West News is the only Celebrity I’ve actually recognised and said hello to. Is a news reporter a celebrity?

Had a love!y encounter with Kaye Adams recently. Don't think she's terribly well known but I listen to her regularly on car radio and she has a great sense of humour.

Cliff Richard visited our youth club in the 70s.
Bumped into Jim Davidson ( literally) in a Cotswold village.
Shared a lift on a cruise ship with Greg Rutherford and his family.
I acknowledged them but did not make any fuss.
I certainly wouldn’t recognise many current ‘celebrities’.

Seb Coe
Paula Ratcliffe
Tennis players
Footballers

Most of Showaddy Waddy who either live in the same village as my brother or sent their children and grandchildren to the same school as ours.
Met Serge (from Kazabian) at a school fete.

You have reminded me Ladyleftfieldlover that I was introduced and shook hands with Jeremy Vine (daughter is a quizzer). He is tall and extremely skinny!

Paula Ratcliffe lived round the corner from us and used to run past the house.
I met David Attenborough on a bus once. He dropped a wedge of money out of his pocket and I picked it up and gave it back to him.
Got autographs from Diana Rigg, Patience Collier and Paul Schofield at the stage door in Stratford and Hank Marvins from a street encounter.
I have met Rosemary Conley and Cliff Parisi in London.
I used to see many celebs on Richmond station coming home from work but too many to mention.

Kim19
Kaye Adams is very well known. She was a contestant on Strictly.

Much to the amusement of my family, I almost knocked over Roger Moore and Brian Clough (on two separate occasions). Roger Moore - my fault - he didn’t half scurry! I was mortified. Brian Clough - entirely his fault. He was walking right in the middle of a windy country road and I came round the corner, fortunately not too quickly. He swore at me very colourfully with an impressive range of phrases. 😂 I wound the window up!

My husband (equally, much to the amusement of our family) failed to recognise and then believe that the chap he was sitting next to in the pub was Brian May (even when Anita Dobson joined him).

A friend and I were waiting outside Teddington TV Studios many years ago and 3 of the Beatles walked across the studio foyer. However, I can never remember which 3 it was as I was so excited!!

Just remembered another one; a good friend of mine went into the ladies and chatted away to the women washing her hands thinking she knew her. The woman was perfectly pleasant and friendly. Some minutes later my friend realised that it wasn’t someone she knew, just someone she recognised… Maureen Lipman 😂

We lived in a South Oxfordshire village, Jeremy Irons and his lovely wife Sinead Cusack were neighbours and our children were at the same school.
In the same village we regularly saw a lot of celebrities, Nigel Havers sat next to me at an auction, we chatted away and he got me a cup of tea.
My husband had a very famous Godfather (household name) he was a lovely person, as was his famous wife.
I met Emma Thompson briefly and made her laugh, she was lovely.

I was attending a conference in Brighton. We were in a pub after the daily business and I was chatting amiably for ages with a woman with a northern accent I could have sworn I recognised but couldn't quite place. I assumed she was somebody from the part of West London where I lived since she was with some people I knew from there.

Only afterwards did the penny drop. She was Sue Johnston, who was in Brookside and the film Brassed Off amongst other things. A fine actor and a lovely unpretentious person, it would seem.

Grandma70s

Oh, and Harold Wilson a long time ago. My father knew him.

Harold Wilson’s son was OH’s maths tutor at Oxford.

MrsKen33

Melvin Bragg gave me my degree certificate.

I got my degree certificate from Gilbert and George!

I bought books and got them autographed by David Attenborough, Gary Rhodes, Francesco Da Mosto, Michael Caine and David Bellamy. Probably others that I've forgotten.

One person’s celebrity is another’s nonentity. When my son was about 15 he met an actor from Coronation Street, who asked him if he wanted his autograph. My son had no idea who he was. I’m not sure now who it was, but he was apparently very famous - to viewers of the programme.

My celebrity many will never have heard of is Michael Tippett. I was singing in his “Child of Our Time” in Germany. I was in the same lift, and talked a bit.

kittylester

Seb Coe
Paula Ratcliffe
Tennis players
Footballers

Most of Showaddy Waddy who either live in the same village as my brother or sent their children and grandchildren to the same school as ours.
Met Serge (from Kazabian) at a school fete.

I taught Paula Ratcliffe French at Upper School.
It is a well known fact that I am the inspiration behind her running.

Ladyleftfieldlover

Grandma70s

Oh, and Harold Wilson a long time ago. My father knew him.

Harold Wilson’s son was OH’s maths tutor at Oxford.

Was that Robin?

Not a celebrity now, but when I was a teenager, Jimmy Saville was getting into his Rolls Royce in our local town square abd spoke to me and my friend.

Quite a few years ago we were on holiday in Barbados. One evening our hotel had a Barbeque with a floor show and limbo dancers.
After the meal my Dh was struggling to light his cigar, suddenly the guy at the next table got up and lit it for him, when my husband thanked his he asked if we were British and then asked would we like to join him and his wife for a drink.
It was Tom Jones, we had a fab night drinking champagne and dancing with them till the early hours.
Lovely memory!

grannysyb

Not a celebrity now, but when I was a teenager, Jimmy Saville was getting into his Rolls Royce in our local town square abd spoke to me and my friend.

Ugh, lucky escape!

Have also met Alan Bennett out walking. He said “Good Morning”. Hope I looked nonchalant.

He is very tall, and looked to be wearing an overcoat that he gardened in!

I’m a huge fan of his though.