Famous people that you’ve met: What were they like?

Princess Diana, briefly, was charming. Amanda Burton, and Anna Chancellor both lovely ladies.

Dame Diana Rigg who had a handshake like a wet fish.

Rudolph Nureyev, who I had seen dance the night before. I was only a teenager but he was lovely and signed my programme. I

What a lovely thread. Unfortunately I have nothing to contribute but keep it coming, please!

Jimmy Perry - co-writer of Dad's Army, et al. I took the minutes of the residents committee for the flats in which he and his wife lived in Central London. He was very nice and wrote me a letter thanking me for stepping in at short notice.

This is 40 years ago. My ex was an estate agent. George Harrison came house-hunting in our area and because it was Easter Sunday and usually a holiday for us I joined in. He spent the day with us in our car. Lovely man. (Couldn't find a place with enough space around it for privacy though.)

Grandma70s

Margot Fonteyn, very sweet and human. Rudolf Nureyev was in a good mood when I met him, and gave me a rose which I still have. It’s a bit dead ?

I think there were others but I can’t remember at the moment.

My DIL looked after Judi Dench when she visited the Royal Academy, where DIL worked at the time.

My friend had a newsagents shop in Covent Garden in the 70s.
She had a couple of Saturday boys who were young dancers.
One day Nureyev came into the shop, and one of the lads fainted clean away!

SueDonim

Alan Rickman. I met him at a film premier. He was sex-on-legs and I was rendered speechless. That tells you everything you need to know about him.

Oh yum

I met Simon le Bon and Yasmin in 1984 when he sank his yacht off Falmouth. I was 12.
It was the height of Duran mania.
He called me a ‘cheeky little bitch’, I even got his autograph telling me so!
I admit that I did deserve it!
I didn’t want to come across as a daft fan. A rebel all the way, me
The camera crew filmed us at the hotel and we were on the 6 o’clock news. The report said that he was ‘surrounded by fans’.
He wasn’t, it was just me and my mate Paula

FannyCornforth

Grandma70s

Margot Fonteyn, very sweet and human. Rudolf Nureyev was in a good mood when I met him, and gave me a rose which I still have. It’s a bit dead ?

I think there were others but I can’t remember at the moment.

My DIL looked after Judi Dench when she visited the Royal Academy, where DIL worked at the time.

My friend had a newsagents shop in Covent Garden in the 70s.
She had a couple of Saturday boys who were young dancers.
One day Nureyev came into the shop, and one of the lads fainted clean away!

That’s wonderful. I don’t blame him!

A couple of historical ones.
My late Nan met Monty when she was a beautiful young woman. I’ve got a lovely photo taken by the newspaper of them together.
The cricket legend WC Grace was rude to my late grandad when he was a lad. He never forgot it!

The current Earl of Harewood, alistair Stewart and Julia Donaldson (the Gruffalo) all contemporaries at university. Didn’t know the E of H was who he was until later….he was just Dave and rather good looking with long Byronic locks,
Julia is delightful and has never changed.

That’s brilliant that you know Julia Lucca. I had a chance to meet her when I was a TA, but I was (surprise, surprise) ill.
She did sign my favourite book by her, Tabby McTatt, though.
A modern classic. One of my favourite books ever.

One of the aforementioned newsagent friends daily customers was Tom Baker.
She absolutely loved him.
He always bought 20 Embassy and The Guardian (top bloke)
He dressed as The Doctor once to surprise her young Who fan daughter.
But she was terrified and hid behind the fridge!

I once shared a breakfast table in a busy hotel breakfast room with the late Robert Morley. He was excellent company and our conversation was a cheerful and stimulating start to the day.

The late Robert Maxwell, however, was definitely the rudest, most gratuitously obnoxious person I have ever encountered. Fortunately for my blood pressure, it was a very brief encounter.

The hospital I trained as a nurse in was often used for filming. The one that stands out is an episode of ‘ Minder’. So Dennis Waterman, and George Cole. In the same part of London, John Alderton once pulled up outside Budgens, and ran in for something. In my local Sainsbury’s....realised the voice I could here next to me at the fruit and veg stall...was Dev from Coronation Street. The Queen came to our local town for a church service. I was about 7. We have quite a big theatre where I live, and have often walked past people appearing at it, in the town.

I’ve met a few over my time but I keep confidences!

One that got away. Going back to the mid 90s
My ex’s best mate from work and drinking buddy, was lifelong best mates with Bob Mortimer and his brother.
They were both supposed to come here to celebrate the mates birthday, we were doing a pub crawl of Derby, just the eight of us.
Unfortunately Bob had to drop out at the last minute.
I nearly did an intimate pub crawl with Bob Mortimer

In my twenties I worked in Fleet Street and had occasional interactions with the late Paul Hamlyn and Rupert Murdoch. To my immature mind both had a chilling aura and I'm sure I didn't even exist to them!

DH has a childhood memory of being taken for a spin in a sports car by Bob Simmons, who was a famous stunt coordinator and Sean Connery's double in the Bond films. His sister was DH's mum's best friend.

I did meet his brother and his wife though.
They were both rockers. The brother was nothing like Bob.
I could say more, but it could be libellous!

The restaurant where DS used to work was frequented by lots of well known faces. Easily his favourite was Ronnie Corbett. He was very funny but kind and considerate too. DS also spoke highly of Camilla (to his own surprise really)

I sat on Paul McCartney's knee in a store in Liverpool. The Beatles played at a children's party there, shortly before massive fame. I have no memory of this at all. And no photographic evidence either which is a shame.

Leslie Crowther made me cry. He asked me how old I was on a London Street corner with a massive microphone shoved in my face.

I live surrounded by footballers now but I don't know which is which. The wife of one drives a Bentley. My father was most impressed when we bumped into her in Waitrose and she took him for a ride round the block in it. No idea who she is though.

I waved and chatted to Anne Robinson and her daughter in M&S. I thought she was an old friend from school. She was very nice as well.

Little and Large were rather surly. I was working for Radio 1 at the time so met a lot of DJs. L&L were at a Roadshow and scowled most of the time.

It’s great to hear that people who you think are lovely really are lovely Aveline.
Ronnie Corbett being a great example

Ooh Lucca , Dave was very good looking

Jo Brand lived near me but was definitely not very friendly.
Jenny Eclair lives near me too and is very friendly - we chatted in Sainsburys a while ago.

Just remembered I met Bob Monkhouse once, when I was a teenager. My friend was a fan, and had written to him when he was appearing in Blackpool (we were in Wirral) and received a reply with an address on it, in St Anne’s on Sea. So we went along and knocked on the door! He was very nice, gave us his autograph and chatted. A bit later we saw him taking his young disabled son out in a wheelchair.

I also met Richard Briers when he was a young actor. He was just as you’d imagine.