I know that face!

PS About two months ago my son and I were in Carluccios and Roy Hodgson ex England Manager was sitting at the next table

Growing up in central London have seen quite a few celebs. In my teens, my friend and I were walked home one night by two of Johnny Kidd and the Pirates band. Cliff Richard came to our youth club when I was fourteen, I was a big fan then. Used to see Danny La Rue at my local shopping street, Jimmy Saville lived in a camper van right by our house. He used to come into the cafe my friends and I frequented as teenagers and chatted to us all. (horrified to find what would happen in later years!!) Saw Georgie Best in a club, John Conteh in a wine bar. Met Robert Beatty through my mother. Saw Andrea from loose Women in my local chemist, David Essex coming out of my local newsagent with his leg in plaster, Brian Rix in my local newsagent. I worked in a private rehab facility and saw many celebs of who I will not name here.

I also saw Muhamed Ali in Birmingham when he came to open a boxing centre or something.

Remember walking down Wardour Street back in 60's and noticing young guy in brown leather trousers and thinking his legs look like two sticks of liquorice! When I looked closer realised it was Roger Daltry from the Who
Also saw Jayne Mainsfield making a film in London years ago she was very tall and lovely face sadly she was killed a little while later in car accident think this was last film she made before she died

In 1967 I met Hermans Hermits when I interviewed them for a magazine - full of fun and most obliging Then in 1978 I met my number one teenage (and beyond) crush - Scott Walker (real name Scott Engel) with John Walker (Maus) of the Walker Brothers when they played our local nightclub in the North East of England. Scott was very reserved but John more chatty and both totally gorgeous! I also met George Galloway on the platform at Newcastle railway station. I was dying to mention his Big Brother appearance but didn't dare. He was very polite and utterly stylish.

Years ago,I spotted Paul Daniels getting into a very posh car outside our local branch of McDonald's. I don't know whether he had just been in to buy a Big Mac. More recently,I saw,or rather,heard,Dean Gaffney (Robbie Jackson from EastEnders), walk past the bus stop I was waiting at. I turned to my daughter and said 'I know that voice' and she enlightened me as to who it was.

roses living in London and from various jobs I've had, over the years have met and seen many a famous person so usually quite blase about them and satisfied that it's the real deal!

In the mid-80s I was next to a woman in the queue at Harrods sale, childrens' dept .... she looked familiar; had long straggly, thin blonde hair and a spotty forehead. Can't be her I thought as I heard the Texas drawl - but I looked sideways as she wrote her cheque and in loopy flourishing handwriting was the name Jerry Hall!

Apart from the encounter with Gracie Fields, do any of you think it may just have been somebody who looks like their famous counter part? It's easily done.

Linbrikat, my Grandma lived next door to Gracie`s family in Molesworth Street in Rochdale in the late 1800s, she used to run errands for Gracie`s mother.
Juggernaut, I`m so JEALOUS that you knew Billy Fury, I thought he was lovely, and I itched to stroke back that lock of hair that hung over his forehead!

One encounter I'll always remember happened when I was about 12. I was on holiday in Italy with my parents and some of their friends. We took a boat trip to Capri and went to see Gracie Fields house. Then we got on a bus to go back to the port and there was Gracie herself on the bus! The adults all went and sat with her at the back and soon she was leading them in a rousing rendition of 'Sally, Pride of our Alley'. I, meanwhile, was sitting at the front cringing with embarrassment and pretending I wasn't with them!

My ex took me to the players' lounge at QPR (he knew the father of one of the players) when they played Blackburn Rovers. This was in the Rovers' glory days, and Alan Shearer played for them. I wanted to have my picture taken with him, but was too shy to go and ask, so my ex dragged me up to him as he was having an after match pint, tapped him on the shoulder and said ' Alan' (like they were best buddies - he always was a cheeky g*t, my ex!) 'do you mind if I take a photo of you with my wife?'. A grudging yes was the answer (Alan Shearer was a miserable g*t!) and I blushed from head to toe. Couldn't look at him, stared fixedly at the camera, then scuttled off in total embarrassment. Still, I'd got the picture - or so I thought, till I was looking at the camera in the car on the way back and realised there was no film in it!
My other claims to fame - taught Matt Lucas, and Gugu Mbatha-Raw (star of the film Belle).

I don't recognise people so only later did I realise. Firstly as a teenager I was chatted up outside Finsbury Park empire(?) by a couple of long haired boys, bit scruffy for those times, so turned my nose up . an hour later the Rolling Stones came onstage and I then recognised my admirers! Too late too late.
Another time I was applying to do a college course and got chatting to a nice lady, we spent the day together, she even took me out for lunch. We were constantly interrupted by people wanting to speak to her, but we carried on chatting and I made no mention of who she was, (because I wasn't sure and didn't want to make a mistake. Her name was Glenda, her voice was very distinctive , but because she was using her married surname I couldn't be sure.....she was of course Glenda Jackson, an actress I very much admired, yet I still wasn't sure. I am so relieved there's a name for this, its propagnosia I think. Has got me into some very embarrasing situations over the years, and unfortunately my daughters have the same problem.

Stood next to Peter Crouch in a shoe shop years ago. Apparently he was buying shoes for Abby Clancy. He's about 3 foot taller than me! Stood behind Terry Jones in a bookshop in London. Followed Sharon Small round Brent Cross shopping centre (by accident). Saw Paul Young having coffee there and Paul Gambaccini buying a newspaper at a railway station. Colin Welland came into a restaurant where we were helping out friends in the south of Ireland. I told him we were closed because of illness and he said, 'Oh that's why you looked surprised to see me'. No - it was because he had just won an Oscar and also used to teach in my home town. Lots of famous people around Manchester. The ubixitous Bamber Gascoigne with his very beautiful wife having a meal at the next table in a Chinese restaurant in Manchester.

In the '70s local teenagers were very excited that someone they referred to as 'Purdy' was a visitor to a tiny North Wales village. Not watching tv at the time I had no idea who they were on about. Apparently Joanna Lumley visited friends there several times. I now know exactly who she is, wonderful woman!
Kevin Whately lives in the same English village as a friend and is very well liked there.

Tommy Steele! I'd forgotten about him. He bought his parents a house just down the road from where I lived - presumably they considered Catford to be a step up from Bermondsey. His sister rode off on my little brother's bike one day and my Dad had to go round to ask for it back.

Spent the day at Ascot races once with a charming man and his wife and next day was told it was Brian Bennet of the Shadows!
Sat next to Ben Elton in Clarks shoe shop in Oxford Street.
Martin Clunes nearly knocked me over in Gt Marlborough Street.
Sat next to Rowan Atkinson in the Groucho Club.
Judy Dench in the local pub when she was filming Pride and Prejudice.
Met Giles Brandreth, Bill Clinton and Chris Hitchens when students at Oxford.
Had photos taken with Ben Kingsley and HotLips from M.A.S.H. at Cannes Film Festival.
Lots of times spent with a few celebs who are friends, so keep them private.

PS Went to see 'Poppy' at a London theatre in the '80s, friend came back from the Gents excited to have stood next to John Cleese. By the time he sat in his front stalls seat, his height making him very noticeable, half the audience was loudly whispering 'There's John Cleese'. The poor man left before the performance began. I hope that he was found a less prominent seat or came another night. ''Poppy' was a very good musical full of old music hall tunes.

In 1966, aged 17, was staying with an elderly couple in Tours, France. One evening they took me to a pavement restaurant and I spotted Cliff Richard at one of the other tables. I didn't ask for his autograph but did ask if he would mind my taking a photo. One of the waiters quietly asked me if this was an English star. I was shocked that they didn't know him and hope Sir Cliff had 5 star service after that!
In the summer of 1963 my little brother and I were put on a Royal Blue coach from Catford to Devon. On the seat in front of us were two young men with a guitar in a plastic case. They put it on the parcel shelf but it fell off at the first corner so they propped it up on the seat between them. On the neck of the case were the words "Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones". During the lunch stop at Bournemouth, while my brother and I are our sandwiches, the two young men played the guitar and sang in the otherwise empty coach. I'm not sure which two they were but guess Mick and Bill Wyman, who, I learned later, lived in a maisonette opposite one of my school friends in Penge. Their first record came out shortly afterwards so I don't suppose they had many more coach trips.

I tried to sell Eddie the Eagle life insurance , my colleague waited until he politely declined before informing me.

Saw Paul Whitehouse and small daughter In Islington, Andy Hamilton laughing in Monsoon nearby and Sue Pollard spreading joy around Waitrose, dressed like a rainbow and chatting cheerily to all and sundry. Friend who worked in an estate agency on Upper Street said she'd seen, and shown houses to, lots of well known people there, she's very discreet so I will be too!
Nearby saw Gregg Wallace one cold dark night. Boris often seen around there and we once realised that the hunched man trying to be invisible in the corner of Byron was Angus Deayton, having problems at the time.
At Euston one Sunday afternoon I had a lovely conversation with Paterson Joseph during which I forgot everything I'd ever seen him in. Another time was delighted to see Nick Hewer about to sit across the aisle on the Manchester bound train. Sadly he immediately courteously gave the seat to a woman who'd got there at the same time. Nick then went into the next carriage, which spared him any witless remarks from me!!
Long ago encountered Dave Dee et al in a Birmingham hotel. They invited me to the gig they were about to go to but I had to go into the hotel to a meeting. After a '60s revival concert at Birmingham Odeon I saw John Phillips of the Mamas and Papas, about to board their coach, thanked him and got a kiss on the forehead! Very tall man!
In the actual '60s I was at a party held by Tommy Steele's dresser. Tommy, my first pop star crush, whom I'd just seen in Half a Sixpence, arrived. Dumbstruck, I just looked from afar! Same after seeing Adam Faith (second pop star crush) years later in a play in Birmingham. We were in the theatre bar, he came in, I just looked, dumbstruck! When he left I tasted his half finished drink - plain Coca Cola!
What a lot of memories this thread has jogged!

I was a great fan of Dave Berry in the 60s when in the 80s he bumped in to me a club and was all apologetic making sure I was ok I couldn't say a word (for the first time )

I sat opposite Patsy Kensit on a train a few years ago. Many of the other passengers recognised her and were taking photos etc but I decided just to talk to her as if she were another ordinary fellow-passenger without using her name. I'm glad I did. I'll never know whether she just thought I hadn't recognised her. Doesn't matter. I liked her.

Rubylady you lucky so and so. David Essex was/is gorgeous. I had my photo taken with Gary Mabbut (Spurs star) at Wembley. Lovely lovely bloke!

Hugh Laurie has already had a mention, but I saw him strutting down Oxford Street - he's very tall ! Literally bumped into Jonathan Pryce outside a garage where he was collecting his car. Sat on the next table to Paul Whitehouse and his little girl in a cafe in London.
Many years ago (many,many, MANY) I sat behind Noel Gordon at a panto in Birmingham.

Ian Paisley having breakfast at the hotel in London at the elephant and castle that the Benefits Agency used when attending meetings etc.