The only truly famous (or should it be formerly famous) person I have ever met (met him twice) is Gareth Gates. Expected him to have his head up his own backside but couldn't have been more wrong. So polite, nice, helpful and generous with his time. Everyone who wanted an autograph got one, everyone who wanted their photo got one, everyone who wanted a chat got to chat. Thoroughly nice guy.

I used to work in a school in London which was used in the filming of 'Love Actually'. Saw loads of the actors, as they just came in to film while school was going on, bizarrely. I had a pee next to Alan Rickman, both of us stared silently ahead. Him, Liam Neeson, Emma Thompson all brilliant, just chatted away to the kids and the staff, no airs or graces at all. Hugh Grant and Martine McCutcheon however.... Pah.
Then to be even more annoying, we had a staff cricket match on a local pitch a few weeks later, turned up and were told, with no prior notice or anything, 'No sorry you can't play today, Hugh Grant wants to use the pitch for his celebrity team'.

Now extended to whom you've had a pee stood next to.

Me: Billy Boston...Bernard Youens(Stan Ogden)

Not about meeting a hero but some who thought they were1 Having a beer in Crickitters Arms in Epping forrest group of rowdy chaps in there, as I went to bar one of them said to me " don't start hanging round and asking for autographs". I quite forcefuly let him know I didn't have a cue or care who they were. He had tried to embarres me but it turned on him big time. Barman told me later they were Tottenhem Hotspur players, He said thanks a lot and gave me a pint on the house. It was early 70s when they started to get too big for thier heads.

I've seen Ryan Atkins a few times with his Mrs. It's got to the point where she stops to say hi to my Mrs. Both very nice and decent people.
As for Moz he's a legend. Very quiet and polite.

Not that the fella is a hero of mine, but

Picture the scene
Seven lads (all aged 20-22) walk into 2nd Avenue (now Cromwell's....I think) on a autumn Friday night in 1990 and, totally unannounced, the Aussie RL touring party are in there. One of the lads (me) sees Wally Lewis, and asks him a perfectly civil question. I got a sneer and a grunt.....t055er. Michael Hancock, on the other hand, was a gentleman, and I got a signed piccy of that year's tourists off him. Carried it round all night, even round the Mississippi Showboat, on Grab-a-Granny Friday. I think I've still got it in the loft (the piccy, not that night's granny).

Yeah I bumped into some of the aussie tourists in time square one night must have been 1990. Spent some time talking to Brad Fittler (well actually I was drunkenly begging him to sign for us) but he was a really sound fella, very down to earth and friendly.

not a hero of mine but the only famous person I've even stood near...was Ken dodd...!!!

We were on the same flight to tenerife as him and his missus...there and back!! he must have booked a bog standard package holiday through a travel agents just like us!!...i wonder if he has a stash of cash under his bed like me too.....



seemed a really nice bloke chatting to almost everyone that passed him on the plane and was reading the beano as well which was just odd...!! and on the way back he had clearly met some of the older holiday makers as they chatted about the odd heavy night in certain pubs etc... nice bloke

Sam Tomkins looking at coffee machines in the Trafford Centre a few years back, told him I'd be disappointed if he didn't turn out to be the best player in superleague, we chatted, he seemed alright, he didn't disappoint me.

Ian Brown - tool
David Beckham - soulless & dull
Ellery Hanley - legend, patted me on my head, I was 6 maybe
Patrice Evra - bland
City's Milner - bland
Richard Ashcroft - great
Scott Moore - in a queue for beer @ stone roses SMASHED
Robbie Coltrane - great, charming, funny, HUGE!

I think the problem often arises when you get too pushy with celebrities. I think you should say hello and pass a quick comment (just like you would with anybody) but asking for autograph or worse still a photograph ... really is being a pain.

if i see a celebrity, the most i will ever do is smile and nod.. if i was famous, the last thing i would want would be people pecking my head for autographs, pictures or small talk... i suppose it depends on the level of celebrity...

for example, if i see a rugby player around the town.. i just carry on as normal. i wont stop and talk to them...mayb e a quick nod to acknowledge them.. if i see someone of the TV i will wait until they are out of range then tell the wife 'did you see that bloke off coronation street down aisle 3 then love?'... But if it was a proper grade A celeb.. someone like Stallone or Hulk Hogan... then im right up there getting my picture taken and contradicting everything i said up there ^

I've met gazza and the the Tottenham squad back in 90s when El Tel was manager. Whole squad happy to sign autographs and pose for pictures.

I beat Kevin Ashurst in a fishing match once.

Nigel Mansell - polite but not chatty.
Steve Hackett (ex-Genesis guitarist) great guy, very chatty.
Norman Hunter and Trevor Brooking. Both friendly blokes.
Various Wire players over the years but Bob Jackson, Paul Cullen, Matt King, Greg Mackey and the great Mike Gregory were always very approachable and friendly.

Met quite a few famous people over the years-

The Good-
Playing a frame of snooker with Les Boyd in Snookers (he wasn't good although TBH he had hands like shovels)

The Bad-
Sitting next to Chris Kamara on a flight back from Tenerife, thoroughly miserable sod.

Sat next to Piers Morgan at Old Trafford, him and his mate were giving Paddy Crerand a load of grief (it was around the time he had an incident with road rage and a golf club). Loads of banter.

Not being a United fan, it was a really good night......and Arsenal won the game.

Just for the record, he's not a hero of mine, but the thread seems to have become slightly broader than it started.

Following on from the urinal theme, a mate of mine in about 1984 had a slash next to David Bowie

I went to Alton Towers during the last year of junior school in 1982. I sat on the front of the corkscrew next to Cyril Regis who was still with West Brom. I asked him "What's it like to be a professional footballer"? He replied ""Not while I'm shaking like a crapping dog". #### I made the last bit up, we never spoke. We just sat there screaming all the way through.

Met various rugby players as most have said all have plenty of time for people, best mention to moz, chris riley and tony smith who all had the time to chat and have pictures taken with my daughter after a match.

I knew you were a fan, MKC, but I didn't know you'd met the great man.
Hope you didn't shake his hand, too firmly!
Those pinkys are priceless

Shook Gary Neville's hand in a bar in Manchester during his playing days. Vice like grip and death stare, presumably in case I was a toss pot. As it happens I am a toss pot and was just pretending to be alright so the jokes on him.

I don’t want to be a name dropper, and just because even the most mediocre so called celebs I’ve ever met have been so full of themselves when out of the limelight I wouldn’t give them the satisfaction anyway. My hero (and I know it may be cheesy but it’s true) was the bloke I live with and loved for eleven years, before he died, mi Dad God bless him!

'Name dropping is a sad and deluded way to gain attention'!! Mick Jagger taught me that

Possibly the opposite of a hero but once went to a BBQ with Idi Amin. I didn't actually go [iwith[/i him, but he was there just in front of me in the queue for the food which was pork, despite his religion. I blanked him. He'd have been quite useful getting the ball five yards out from the opposition line though.

50 cent was very down to earth and easy to chat to it was more he's security which was knobs.
wladimir klitschko also a true gent biggest hands i have ever seen.
sheikh mohammed probably one of the nicest people i have spoken to in Dubai.
all of the specials band are top blokes, let me and a few mates go back stage and get ed with them.

diego Maradona was a complete .