Your Strangest Celebrity Encounter

[Sarah]

Not your FAVOURITE one, but the strangest one - if any that you have experienced.

I've been lucky to meet quite a few celebrities through my line of work (and general following about of Linda Gray), but the biggest surprise came with one that wasn't exactly planned.

I was flying out to San Francisco in 2006 from Ohio airport and as I was coming out of the toilet, I noticed a very familiar lady going inside. I knew immediately who it was, but what did I do? It's a toilet and people, no matter who they are, are entitled to their privacy.

But I couldn't let it go, so to speak. So I waited like a weirdo until she had gone into the cubicle, and I went to the sink. She had to come out eventually. And she did, right to the sink beside me. I plucked up the courage and said 'Excuse me, are you who I think you are?' and she said 'I'm not sure, who do you think I am?' And I said 'Fern?' and she took a massive step back and then I started smiling hysterically and saying 'oh my God oh my God I'm a massive fan of Dallas! Oh my God!' . It was Fern Fitzgerald who played Marilee Stone in Dallas.

She was SO chuffed, so happy and so nice. I asked her would she mind getting a photo as my friend was outside. My poor friend couldn't understand how I had made a friend in the loo, but nodded in understanding as I said 'Dallas!!' (She gets me).

Fern posed for a photo and signed an autograph. I also met her lovely husband who worked on Dallas as part of the crew. They waved goodbye to me as she boarded her flight to LA. Of course I couldn't let the moment pass but had to remind her that her character was a tramp who slept with Sue Ellen's husband She thought this was hysterical.

Such a lovely lovely lady. Imagine meeting her by chance in the loo!

Have you had any weird celebrity encounters? If so with who?

 

[Mel O'Drama]

I waited like a weirdo until she had gone into the cubicle, and I went to the sink. She had to come out eventually. And she did, right to the sink beside me. I plucked up the courage and said 'Excuse me, are you who I think you are?' and she said 'I'm not sure, who do you think I am?' And I said 'Fern?' and she took a massive step back and then I started smiling hysterically and saying 'oh my God oh my God I'm a massive fan of Dallas! Oh my God!' . It was Fern Fitzgerald who played Marilee Stone in Dallas.

She was SO chuffed, so happy and so nice.

There's an interview or reunion or something in which I remember seeing Fern tell about your encounter from her perspective. So you made an impression on her too. Maybe it even classifies as her most memorable encounter with a fan.

 

[Sarah]

There's an interview or reunion or something in which I remember seeing Fern tell about your encounter from her perspective. So you made an impression on her too. Maybe it even classifies as her most memorable encounter with a fan.

Aw thanks @Mel O'Drama - that was an interview with Dallas Fanzine.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Aw thanks @Mel O'Drama - that was an interview with Dallas Fanzine.

Ah yes - that's the one. She seemed very surprised that you knew her real name. You must have made her day.

 

[Sarah]

Ah yes - that's the one. She seemed very surprised that you knew her real name. You must have made her day.

I think she was chuffed to be recognised. It was funny, because I remember thinking 'I cannot talk to Marilee Stone, she's a tramp', before catching myself on.

 

[Sarah]

God help us if I ever accidentally run into Deborah Shelton.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

God help us if I ever accidentally run into Deborah Shelton.

Especially if it's near a toilet. I imagine that might be a head-first two flush job.

 

[Sarah]

You know it

 

[Daniel Avery]

"Swirlies with Shelton: My Encounters With Celebrities" sounds like a good title for your book.

 

[Swami]

At Silverstone in 2006, I was busy covering myself up with factor 60 sunblock when Jodi Kidd came alongside and said "I take it you don't like the sun!".

We had a nice wee chat.

Swami

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

They always look at me and smile -- even in a crowd, it's like they see me before I see them. Even though I'm not famous.

Perhaps the funniest non-encounter encounter I can recall is when I came face-to-face with Paula Deen -- I think was late-summer of 2013 -- at the height of her initially-overblown racism scandal she was passive-aggressively making worse by saying things like, "Oh, I just luv my lil pickanninies so much; whenever they stand in front of a chalkboard, well I just can't find 'em...!" -- and we were at The Varsity in Atlanta surrounded by a sea of black people. The only Caucasoid in sight were she and I (along with her handler, also a white guy).

She looked nervous, and yet somehow not nervous enough, while we stood in line.

None of the black folks (who were everybody else) seemed to notice her or care.

I mean, I didn't speak with her or anything. She just looked at me pleasantly and intently, as if to communicate that she might indeed be able to spot me in front of a chalk board. So my 'friendly' face didn't seem to be the source of its appeal in this particular case.

 

[Sarah]

I actually remembered another one also involving a toilet.

I was in a film a few years ago with Julie Walters and on the day of the readthrough I ran into her in the lobby when she was going to the loo. But she headed straight for the gent's and it wasn't until I shouted 'Julie that's the mens!' that she realised. She made a real joke of it, very funny lady.

Then we peed together.

 

[Angela Channing]

I've met a few famous people in toilets. One was Kenny Sansom, ex Arsenal footballer and a legend to all supporters of the club, such as myself. I wanted to say something to him but I thought he might find it a bit awkward to talk in a toilet so I said nothing. While I was washing my hands we made eye contact in the mirror and it was clear from the look on my face that I had recognised him. So he said hello to me which took me by surprise. I told him I was wanting to speak to him but thought he might not want to be disturbed. He said, that's ok, shook my hand (thankfully by then we had both washed our hands!) and we had a brief chat about Arsenal and he was absolutely charming.

On another occasion, I was at an awards ceremony and I saw this tall handsome mixed-race guy in the toilet who looked familiar and I was wracking my brain to think where I had met him before so I wouldn't be caught out if he remembered me and I didn't remember him. I said hello and asked him how he was enjoying the evening while I was still frantically trying to remember who he was. When he replied, his voice triggered my memory, I didn't actually know him but I had seen him on TV, it was Marvin from JLS (this was while the group were still together). He was pleasant and was happy to chat with me for a while before we went back to our respective tables. Later that same evening, in the toilet again (don't judge my bladder, I was drinking a lot of wine and it was a long awards ceremony), I met Jade Jones in the toilet (partner of Baby Spice and lead singer of Damage). I wasn't particularly interested in saying anything because I wasn't a particular fan of his music but he said hello first and started chatting with me like we were old friends. He came across as being a really nice guy, uunassuming and seemed genuinely happy to speak to me.

My final bathroom story is a bit different. I was at my gym and I had just had a shower after my workout and walked back to the changing rooms to finish drying off my last bits before getting dressed when an American guy said "excuse me" as he walked past to get to his locker. I recognised his voice because I was a big fan of Lost, it was Mathew Fox who was in London doing a play. However, as I was naked at the time I didn't feel it was appropriate to say anything to him.

 

[Sarah]

Wow @Angela Channing - very impressive. I think we may be on to something here. Toilets are the place to be if you want to mingle with celebs.

 

[James from London]

Being in the Coronation Street green room was quite surreal. I was trying to listen while my mate was quietly telling me what a miserable time he was having on the show and couldn't wait to leave, while at the same time everywhere I looked, people I'd spent my whole life watching on telly kept walking past. It was like everything was in 4-D.

Toilet-wise, I ended up having a slash next to Steve MacDonald. RESULT!

 

[Daniel Avery]

I think we may be on to something here. Toilets are the place to be if you want to mingle with celebs.

I agree. I signed a non-disclosure agreement, so I can't go into details, though. Not even a Careless Whisper.

 

[James from London]

Popbitch.com runs a nice line in celebrity toilet encounters -- who washes their hands afterwards and who doesn't, as well as other, um, observations.

 

[JROG]

I don't know how 'strange' it is but I did find it hilariously odd when I realized that in 2003, Colin Farrell and I were vacationing in Egypt at the same time, then took the same flight to Athens, and I ran into him at the Greek airport. He was super sweet and kind and signed an autograph (pre-selfie days!). He remains the most famous person I've ever met.

Unfortunately, there were no toilets involved.

Even stranger was when I saw Simon from 7th Heaven at the same airport LOL

 

[Edie70]

Faye Dunaway [in Cannes last spring] and Marcia Cross [in Prague back in 2015].

 

[Mo Mouse]

I have met quite a few celebritites whilst peeing in urinals and I couldn't help noticing on each occasion how much bigger than them all I was.