Make amends with a celebrity

In real life and online, we can have interactions with famous people that don’t go well, but apologising isn’t realistic. This thread is where you can share your story and make amends.

For my part, when I was younger I went through a phase of following local celebrities around Manchester and making loud sarcastic comments about them as they went shopping. It seemed pretty funny at the time to me but it must have been a downer for them. Take That were a bunch I ran into a lot. So if you’re out there, Gary Barlow, I’m sorry: whatever I said, whatever I did, I didn’t mean it.

politecameraactionFree Member
In real life and online, we can have interactions with famous people that don’t go well, but apologising isn’t realistic. This thread is where you can share your story and make amends.

For my part, when I was younger I went through a phase of following local celebrities around Manchester and making loud sarcastic comments about them as they went shopping. It seemed pretty funny at the time to me but it must have been a downer for them. Take That were a bunch I ran into a lot. So if you’re out there, Gary Barlow, I’m sorry: whatever I said, whatever I did, I didn’t mean it.

You still do the the same but on STW. *Tongue out smiley here*

On topic: When I lived in Aberstwyth I sometimes used to sit on the beach chatting with mates and watch the world go by. Jimmy Page, Roger Plant and some very hippy dressed ladies would walk their dogs past. We’d softly sing their famous riffs as they passed. Plant seemed amused and acknowlegded our existance with a slight movement of his hand.

Gary Barlow, I’m sorry: whatever I said, whatever I did, I didn’t mean it

But do you want him back?

Great idea. Today this could be the greatest day of his life.

I owe Ross Kemp an apology. I was in Brighton whilst waiting in the queue for a taxi home at 3am. I was drunk and spotted him up ahead and I kept repeatedly shouting “alright bruv”, “where’s Tiffany?” and other Eastenders related stuff at him and he eventually lost his temper. He told me to “**** off you pr**k” but was the bigger man and walked away when I’m sure all he really wanted to do was to punch me in the face.

Ross Kemp I’m sorry for being a complete dick.

Expected proof reading content, is dizsapiont.

I owe Neil Tennant of the pet shop boys an apology.

Late noughties I’d been visiting a friend in London and had popped to WHSmith before catching my train west. Came back out and my mate was talking to this man who looked vaguely familiar.  Went to say goodbye to my mate, who introduced me to the man as Neil, I thought it was a bit weird the deference he did it with and he seemed vaguely familiar but thought no more of it.

Apparently Neil said afterwards it ages since he’s been blanked/not recognised 😂

Sorry Neil. I’d recognise you now.

At Heathrow I accidentally got in the way of Elton John and his entourage as they were being ushered towards places that us mere mortals never get to see. I did all I could to get out of the way and tried to apologise at the time but couldn’t make myself understood. So Elton, I tried but Sorry seemed to be the hardest word to say.

I apologise to Sam Fox for spoiling her pictures when I was a teenager.

Do apologise, as the OP found it only takes a minute.

I’m flipping this, as I’d like apologies from Simon Mayo and Sharon Davies.

He lied to me about when his birthday is, when I met him at a Radio 1 Roadshow.

She came to our school to promote some sport’s thing, we all queued for ages to have photos taken with her (despite not really knowing who she was*) and she looked mardy as hell on every single one.

Apologies in person or in writing are fine…

*to make it worse, the previous year had had Geoff Capes who’d been a right laugh with everyone

Ha. On topic, though:

Not mine at all but a mate’s. I was just an innocent bystander wanting the ground to swallow me up.

Couple of years ago I invited same mate to attend one of my Wendyball team’s home-games. In the Park & Ride car park about to board the bus and get driven to the ground, my mate suddenly espies Mr & Mrs Robbie Savage stepping out of a Porche, and bellows “R-O-O-O-OBBIE SAVAGE!! WHAT A W*****!! WHAT A W*****!!” at the top of his voice while walking over to him. Apparently, that’s what Forest fans (and my mate is a diehard one) used to chant whenever they played Derby County while Mr Savage was playing for them.

Mr Savage’s boy played for my L1 club at the time, and he’d often show up to watch his son. Anyway, at first everyone was all smiles, and I genuinely thought “Oh wow, my mate is friends with Robbie Savage”, but then Mr Savage noticed his wife wasn’t smiling. At which point the atmosphere turned on a sixpence. Mr Savage’s face dropped, he got angry, an argument ensued about embarrassing his wife, and my mate – though bizarrely trying to DEFEND his actions by claiming it was true and he WAS a W***** – tried to half-heartedly apologise.

I was cringing like I’d never cringed before. Never felt embarrassment like it. After a couple of minutes of this interaction (everyone in the car park and on the double-decker bus was watching in disbelief) Mr Savage turned to me and asked me what I thought, as I was clearly the mate of the guy who had insulted him in front of his wife. I just shook my head staring at the ground in silence like a naughty schoolboy. I was a 53-y-o company director.

Eventually both parties backed-down and Mr Savage and his wife boarded the bus.

Even more bizarrely my mate still wanted to get on the bus, but I convinced him that we should probably walk.

Needless to say this soured the whole matchday experience for me (even though it was a rare home win for us) and we haven’t spoken of it since.

In the modern parlance I have tried to ‘reach out’ to Mr Savage on the social medias apologising for my mate’s behaviour, and hoping it didn’t spoil his day like it did mine. But I think it fell on deaf ears.

But do you want him back?

For good?

At a gig I once shouted at a singer: “You’re SHIT! You’re not Mike Patton!” I’ve never felt apology necessary, especially as he was called Ian Watkins off of the Lost Prophets and was later found to be more than shit.

Can I thank a celebrity instead… Seeing as he didn’t reply to my insta message?

During Covid times my frail grandparents isolated themselves as required. They were quite scared and my Nana was suffering from dementia. My granddad refused help but they did tell me that their nice neighbour kept leaving food on their doorstep. Home made pizza, curry etc saying he’d made too much.

When my granddad died my Nana had to move to a home. She kicked up quite a fuss and kept telling my dad that Naughty Boy was going to come and rescue her. I had no idea who that was, but turns out their next door neighbour was a famous music producer. And actually a Nice Boy.

I apologise for splashing piss over Sven Goran Erikson’s nice brogues when I was stood next to him at the urinals at The Lowry in Manchester (just before he was announced as Man City’s manager – I assume he was there closing the deal).

For good

Dude, there’s no need to explain his joke.

Apparently Neil said afterwards it ages since he’s been blanked/not recognised

The PSBs must be second only to Daft Punk in not getting recognised in public, in relation to their level of success at least. Ideal situation for a pop star, unless they actively want the attention surely.

I called Chris Eubanks a w**ker in the arrivals hall of Heathrow as he whizzed past me, far too close, on his electric scooter, with wife and kids trudging along behind him, pushing the luggage trolley. Don’t think he heard me, which is a shame.

I don’t actually want to apologise, i still stand by it. As, i suspect, do most of other people in the arrivals hall.

I may, just may, have to apologise to Pat Sharp (of Fun House fame) for repeatedly asking him if he was Pat Sharp from Fun House when he was DJing at a bar in London I was at with my poker mates many years ago. He kept reminding me that, yes, he was Pat Sharp from Capital FM but he has been and always will be Pat Sharp from Fun House.

In my defence, it was a friday night and I had been socialising quite hard for a few hours at that point.

Pat, I am sorry, but I still have the autograph (and yes, I did notice you added “Capital FM” under your name. Well played.).

I trod on Simon Le Bon’s foot in the Oast House, Manchester. Sorry Simon.

I’d like to apologies to the late Bruce Forsyth….

We went on a school trip to Florida in the early 90’s, and he was in the arrivals hall at the airport with his wife waiting for his golf clubs to come off the carousel – when a few of us proceeded to shout “good game, good game” and “Didn’t he do well”……..

I’d like an apology from Bernie Eccleston and Flavio Briatore though – again at an airport…

Me and a mate went to Malaysia for the F1 in around 2000, we’d gotten our luggage and were walking though the airport only to be nearly run over by said pair in a golf buggy.

Oh and on the same trip to Malaysia I’d like to apologies to Carl Fogarty – we were walking through one of the dodgy markets in KL where they sell all the knock-offs – and I looked over and there was Foggy with his Mrs perusing the said knock-offs. Can’t actually remember what I said but he didn’t look impressed!

The budgie I bought from Jeff Capes escaped a few months after I bought it.
Sorry Geoff and Joey for not protecting.

Oh, and Cliff Richard.
Sorry I puked on you in 1975, aged 1, at a hotel breakfast in India.

I’d like to apologise to the King (then Prince). When I worked at Chatsworth I was hand digging a deep trench in the grounds. This was during the closed season when we would do the more disruptive maintenance/projects. I knew that the Duke had a visitor because of the armed guards who were sat drinking tea in the security station. Anyway I had just removed A LOT of skin off the knuckles on my hand on a rock that was stuck out of the side of the trench and was in the middle of a bit of a shouty (and incredibly sweary) tantrum when he came around the corner to see what was going on . I suspect that he heard several words that were completely new to him, and at a volume that made him visibly jump!

@scammell I once saw the King driving a Landy from Chatsworth House up towards the farm shop. Sadly I was on my bike and too far away to shout “vive la revolution” or anything.

Me and some pals did heckle Keane something rotten when they played the Fuzz Club in Sheffield in 2002 or 2003.

I feel a bit bad but it was somewhere only we know.

I also apologise to David Jason for calling him Jason every time I spoke to him when he was a guest at a friend’s wedding.

“I owe Neil Tennant of the pet shop boys an apology.”

“before catching my train west.”

Life is peaceful there.

I suspect that he heard several words that were completely new to him

I can only assume that you’re unaware of whom his father is. 😁

I once drove a remote control car into John Leslie’s foot. He scowled.

Also, at Nevis range few weeks back I was chatting to a couple of 50 something blokes who were hoping to do the blue but ended up just walking. They were posties from Lincolnshire apparently but were given free lift passes.  The shorter one said “you don’t recognise us do you?”

No idea. If you were/are famous, apologies.

Simon Le Bon – bizzarely – did at least a season of Motorbike Proddy Racing back in the early 90s I think. Almost everyone else in the paddock turned up in knackered transits and were sponsored by the DHSS as it was then. He turned up in a motorhome –  but those that met him universally said he was a sound bloke.

I didn’t meet him, but I did laugh – hard – when he suffered the too much front brake/rear wheel comes up/then slams down transferring energy to a swift and rapid acceleration of crotch to tank. You could almost hear the grown from the other end of the Snetterton straight 🙂

So sorry Simon, but then you did make some pretty awful records (but also a few memorable videos!)

This is what Twitter is for isn’t it? It’s the only thing I’ve ever used it for. I met Claire Balding on a mountain bike ride in the Peak District once (she was recording Ramblings) and I just lost my shit and prattled on at her. I apologised via Twitter, and she replied that it was nice to meet me and she was “concerned about my muddy bottom”.

My mum later met her at some horse event and I now have a copy of one of her books with the inscription “Hi Luke, how’s the bum holding up? Claire Balding”.

I accidentally body checked Jimmy Saville in the foyer of the Moat House Hotel in Glasgow and knocked him to the floor.
Not sorry then. Even less sorry now.

The shorter one said “you don’t recognise us do you?”

Going to guess they’ve been on pootles and know you from that, rather than them being famous. We once had someone on a motorbike chatting to us outside  a chippy in  Hawes because he recognised Mrs NBT from group rides, to this day we’ve no idea who he was

I’ll apologise on behalf of my best mate who ran up behind Peter Kay on Oxford Road (Manchester) circa 2002 and bellowed “GARLIC BREAD?!” Made poor Peter jump out of his skin and he wheeled round rightfully shouting “F. OFF YOU  PRICK!” The whole thing was hilarious. But in retrospect, sorry Peter. (I’m not sure I am sorry.) 

The shorter one said “you don’t recognise us do you?”
Going to guess they’ve been on pootles and know you from that, rather than them being famous.

Haha, it turns out Pook is the famous one.

It would be hilarious if the Scottish guy I kept calling “Chris” at Fort Bill that same day is reading this.

(I’d seen Pook was there on Strava but mistook this fella for him twice)

Not me, but a lady I used to work with worked in posh Cotwolds hotels for many years and therefore had numerous celeb related anecdotes. My favourite was from when she was waiting silver service for a big media do in the late eighties. She was clearing plates between courses, when she inadvertently tipped a significant portion of dauphinoise potatoes into the open handbag of a smartly dressed lady as she chatted with colleagues. The head waiter saw this and shot her a devil glance to indicate she should say absolutely nothing.

I often wonder what Sue Lawley quite made of the cold vomit-y contents of her bag later that evening, but in the unlikely event she is on STW, Karen says she is truly sorry.

back in the late 90’s living in south london i got a weeks temp work helping set up the all the tv tech (lifting stuff around) for wimbledon tennis tournament on my last day i was about to go and eat my lunch in one of the outer courts and watch some of the men practicing walked round a corner and physically bumped into pete sampras treading on his foot in the process he didnt win that year……………………………… sorry pete

Ross Kemp I’m sorry for being a complete dick.

Late 90s he used to play rugby for a club in a league that a colleague also played in. Cue much sledging of the “did you know your brother is shagging your wife”  variety.

I’ll apologise on behalf of my best mate who ran up behind Peter Kay on Oxford Road (Manchester) circa 2002 and bellowed “GARLIC BREAD?!” Made poor Peter jump out of his skin and he wheeled round rightfully shouting “F. OFF YOU  PRICK!” The whole thing was hilarious. But in retrospect, sorry Peter. (I’m not sure I am sorry.)

Shades of Father Ted there.