Cilla Black

All ‘celebrities’ are putting on an act, aren’t they?

Unless we know them personally, it’s impossible to say whether they are pleasant or not in real life.

Sometimes in interviews the mask slips somewhat, but that depends on how skilful the interviewer is!

Harris27, the report I read about Rod Stewart was that he, his son and their families tried to gate crash a private party, no mention of a pre-booked table. When the security guard denied them access it got physically and verbally aggressive and the security guard was going to press charges. Who knows what really happened?

Just watched it and she was a star and knew it! But she was good at keeping the audience entertained job done!

I have a friend who can afford to fly first class, she had seen Cilla a few times at airports, said she sat apart from anyone, dark glasses, head turned away etc. I felt she maybe didn’t want to chat to all and sundry in her own time, up to her really.

I watched her on Piers Morgan once, she spoke very movingly and genuinely (I felt) about the death of her baby daughter, and how devastated she was when Bobby knew he was going to die, how totally dependent she was on him organising her life, and how he encouraged her to carry on alone.

I felt for her.

I was always surprised that Paul O'Grady and Cilla Black were such great friends. He is a staunch Labour party supporter and she publicly supported the Conservatives, though she claimed to be "apolitical" in later years.

I suppose that demonstrates that a close friendship can still happen between very different people - and perhaps that some people can be wonderful friends but not particularly caring of those outside their immediate circle.

I wasn't a massive fan of her singing but I did think she was quite funny and entertaining. As a person, I don't know what she was like because I didn't know her. So far, second hand reports suggest she wasn't the pleasantest of people. But does any Gransnetter have a more positive account to relate?

It was reported at the time of her death that she had been battling arthritis for many years and was not in good health. If she was as difficult as has been reported, perhaps that was due to pain. I imagine it is hard to be agreeable when you are in constant pain. Some people can manage it but I'm not sure I'd be that nice if I was in pain all the time.

I too thought the dramatisation of her life, in which Sheridan Smith played Cilla Black, didn't always show her in the kindest of lights. It, as someone else said, did suggest that her husband was more or less forced to put his own singing career to one side in order to support hers. I thought she seemed a a bit selfish in that respect, but he could always have said no. Perhaps he wasn't as ambitious as her and was quite happy to do that. In the past - and even now - women often prioritise their husband's careers at the expense of their own - and husbands are rarely accused of being selfish because of it.

I wasn't a fan but she seemed to have a good circle of close friends so that says something about her,Paul OGrady was hilarious at her funeral and I'm sure she would have enjoyed his memories of her.I enjoyed the series with Sheridan Smith but it did show she was quite a selfish person.We all have our own faults dont we and seems she was no different to the rest of us .I did like her version of Alfie ,if you haven't heard Rumer singing itFiachna you should give it a listen

Annepl you are welcome. I really love a few of her songs. I honestly cannot comment on anything else.

I too have heard unpleasant things from someone who came into contact with her, but my oldest daughter loved blind date, and I remember her entering a competition once, where you had to write about your favourite celebrity, she chose Cilla, she was only about eight.

I was never a fan , but she always seemed down to earth, and up for a laugh, but you can never tell I suppose.

In the light of what has recently happened to Caroline Flack - aren’t we all still at it? Piling in to bad mouth someone most of us only saw on the television or read about in glossy magazines? Most of us didn’t know her.

The difference here is that Cilla is already dead. Which means she can’t be hurt by these comments.

But still.
?

I read her biography and she wasn't a nice person by all accounts, not well liked and very haughty

Quite a while ago now I went to a spa resort for a couple of days that had photographs of all their famous guests. I got chatting to one of the beauty therapists and asked who was the nicest famous person they'd met and who was their least favourite. CB and a famous actress from a well known soap opera on tv, (who's still alive) were said to be the guests they dreaded coming in because they were so demanding and rude.

My parents lived near her and she was disliked locally. Not a nice person at all.

I think many of the top people in entertainment, especially singers and the like, only get where they do because they are hardnosed, pushy and manipulativ, otherwise they would just get knocked down in the rush.

Thanks for the info on the programme Fiachna

I loved Blind Date and Surprise Surprise.
I thought she was a good TV host, very entertaining.

Oh, right. Thank you. I forgive him because I'm a fan, too. Tonight's the night!

Rod has been allegedly took a swipe in New Year’s Eve in Vegas as he was denied access to a previously booked table. Apparantley he just pushed the guy and now he’s claiming he punched him. I’ve got an open mind as he’s my favourite singer. Sorry guys!

Jane - what has Rod Stewart been up to?

I really liked some of her songs and thought she did Blind Date very well. At times I thought she was a good sport.

I have to say that I loved "Blind Date" - I associate it with eating dinner on a Saturday in front of the tv

Fiachna50 she wouldn’t have been able to play the ‘big star’ with those though would she as they were ‘bigger’ than her. I never understood how she got where she did, I didn’t like her voice at all! More screeching than singing. Sorry Cilla fans ?

You make good points Fiachna50 and Callistemon I was only thinking earlier that one of her good friends was the late Dale Winton and when he died everybody said what a lovely man he was.

She could have been lovely with her close friends, who knows.

Yet, The Beatles, Paul O'Grady and Frankie Howard all thought the world of her. They all seemed to be close to Cilla. I know Paul McCartney wrote Step Inside Love especially for her show. A song I always liked.

A friend knew her when they were at college together in Liverpool.
I must say I liked the public persona but my friend's stories were of quite a different personality.