35 celebrity sightings that had Liverpool locals stunned

In a place like Merseyside you don’t have to look far, or wait long, to spot a famous face.

The region is often used as filming locations for major Hollywood films, hit TV shows or hosts gigs and plenty of massive events. And with that the city attracts many successful, famous faces.

Through the years, many have stopped to take a selfie with a fan or been spotted on set by locals. From visiting football stadiums, to grabbing a bite to eat on popular city-centre streets or strolling on Crosby Beach, Scousers have many exciting stories to tell, the ECHO previously reported.

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Here, we've put together some of our favourite celebrity moments in Liverpool and wider Merseyside. See how many you remember in our 35-strong list below.

This list isn't intended to be comprehensive. But if you have any memories of spotting a famous face in Merseyside, let us know in the comments section below.

Will Ferrell

Will Ferrell visited Liverpool ONE restaurant and bar Mamasan last year while enjoying a weekend in the city to watch football. He joined fellow actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney as their Wrexham team played Wealdstone FC.

He then attended Manchester City's victory over Aston Villa, appearing on Sky Sports' coverage. During the same weekend, Will Ferrell also visited Hope Street Hotel's 1931 Restaurant in Liverpool city centre.

John Cena

In June last year, Hollywood stars John Cena and Idris Elba were spotted around Liverpool and stopped to pose with fans, heading to local businesses while filming comedy film Heads of State in the city. Photos and videos soon emerged on social media of WWE star John Cena at the JD Gym branch on Dale Street in the city centre.

Wearing a black top and black cap, the wrestler smiled and gave the peace sign as he took a photo with JD personal trainer Sam. Taking to Twitter, JD Gyms said: "Check out this photo of our amazing Personal Trainer Sam at JD Gyms Liverpool Dale Street posing next to our logo. What a guy...what a gym."

Idris Elba

Luther star Idris Elda was also out and about in the city centre, visiting one of the city's much-loved restaurants. Taking to Instagram, Papillon on Hope Street shared a photo of Idris outside on the popular street.

The caption reads: "We had the pleasure of serving @idriselba last night for dinner and drinks, a true gentleman!" Papillon isn't the first Hope Street venue to welcome a famous face in recent weeks.

Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra

At the same time, Scousers were amazed as Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra enjoyed a day out in Liverpool. The Jonas brother and the film star have been married since 2018 and share one daughter and the whole family were in Merseyside as Priyanka was filming the blockbuster production, Heads of State, alongside Idris Elba and John Cena.

Priyanka took a break from filming as she took advantage of the glorious Merseyside weather with a trip to Otterspool Promenade. The family enjoyed a pitstop at Otterspool Adventure as the play centre shared snaps of their famous visitors on Instagram.

They shared a post of the superstar couple alongside staff with the caption: "We had some very special visitors today at Otterspool Adventure. Thank you @nickjonas and @priyankachopra for spending your day with us.

Quentin Tarantino

It's been over 17 years since a visit from Quentin Tarantino saw fans queue for 12 hours - and the famous film director also got a lift from a local truck driver. Back in September 2007, Quentin Tarantino was in Liverpool for the UK premiere of his new movie Death Proof and as part of the publicity tour did a signing at the lost Virgin Megastore in Clayton Square, where the first person started queuing up at 5.30am.

Fans were queuing in the city centre for hours to meet the legendary director, who also signed a number of film toys from Kill Bill. A preview of Death Proof was also screen at FACT and a Q&A followed. But that wasn't the only encounter the public had with Tarantino that week as a 'Good Samaritan' truck driver came to the aid of his favourite movie hero when he spotted him wandering lost through the streets of Liverpool.

Steve Potts, from Halewood, was on his way to a job in his skip hire truck when he spotted Tarantino in the city centre. Here, you can also see the shot of Tarantino on Steve's Sony Ericsson phone over a decade ago.

Tom Hardy

Whenever the Hollywood actor visited Liverpool to film BBC drama Peaky Blinders, Tom Hardy seemed to enjoy immersing himself in local life. During his 2015 stay he nipped off set to grab a bite to eat at Moose Coffee shop on Dale Street.

He was also spotted in Central Perk café on Bold Street, which has since closed, and he watched a film at the Odeon in Liverpool ONE.

Samuel L Jackson

Staff at Neon Jamon were full of excitement when Hollywood actor Samuel L. Jackson turned up totally out of the blue in 2015. Over the years, Samuel has popped into other businesses and landmarks in the city when visiting.

Sophie Ellis Bextor

Last year, Liverpool’s Eurovision celebrations brought many positives to the city- and Sophie Ellis-Bextor paying a visit was definitely one of them. The singer hosted an iconic daytime disco in the kitchen department of John Lewis in Liverpool ONE before taking EuroVillage by storm on the eve of the Grand Final.

But she also took the time while here to visit one of the city’s most popular coffee shops, Lucy In The Sky. While there, she posed with members of staff, appearing on their Instagram.

Rylan

Rylan Clark was also spotted in a Liverpool nightclub ahead of the Eurovision Song Contest. Rylan and Martin Green, the managing director of BBC Eurovision, called down to Liverpool's Pride Quarter, specifically The Masquerade bar, to lap up the Eurovision party energy.

Upon arrival, they were greeted with Black Laces' Agadoo followed by Geri Halliwell's cover of Raining Men. Hyping them up was local drag queen Violet Period Pain who kept the energy flowing as they all burst into song and danced the evening away in their seats.

Rebel Wilson

Pitch Perfect star Rebel Wilson was spotted in East River, on Allerton Road, while she was filming in the city. Now called Tacola , the venue welcomed the actress back in 2021. The star was spotted across Merseyside at the time, as she was seen in Liverpool city centre and West Kirby.

She was filming in the region for The Almond And The Sea Horse, a feature adaptation of Kaite O’Reilly’s stage play. During her time in Merseyside she was also snapped outside Central Library and the World Museum, where she was seen surrounded by film crews.

Cliff Richard

Yuet Ben on Upper Duke Street in Liverpool city centre first opened its doors in 1968. And Sir Cliff Richard himself is among the famous faces to have dined in the restaurant over the years.

Shaggy

Singer Shaggy visited Kasbah Café on busy Bold Street in 2020 before a gig at the M&S Bank Arena. The picture shows Shaggy standing with a staff member and the caption reads: "Pleasure having you Mr lover lover @direalshaggy"

Rita Ora and Taika Waititi

The Masked Singer judge Rita Ora also travelled to the city as part of the Eurovision festivities in 2023, after performing at the semi final inside the M&S Bank Arena. Spotted exploring the tourist attractions in the region, she was joined in the city by her husband Taika Waititi, who is renowned as the director of blockbuster Marvel movies, Thor: Ragnarok and Thor: Love and Thunder.

The two were spotted exploring the sites of the Georgian Quarter as they took a trip to the Anglican Cathedral earlier this month. They also enjoyed Liverpool's vibrant food and drink scene as they were pictured inside Papillon on Hope Street.

An Instagram post on bar's official channel said: "Papillon brings in the best! See you later for some more bevvies @taikawaititi yeah?"

Claudia Winkleman

Claudia Winkleman and her crew were in Lime Street Station in February to film a portion of Channel 4's The Piano, which sees amateur pianists from all over the country show off their skills. Hidden away elsewhere was pop superstar Mika and the greatest pianist in the world, Lang Lang.

Behind the scenes, the pair watched the amateur pianists performing before making the difficult decision on who will progress in the show. The Piano's grand prize is a performance spot at the end-of-series concert in London's prestigious Royal Festival Hall.

Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift showed off the beauty of Liverpool in a new music video following the release of her re-recoded album Speak Now last July. The international superstar was spotted filming in the city at the start of April 2023 as she took a short break from her The Eras

Tour. Pictures showed Taylor filming at the Cunard Building, on the Pier Head, with others claiming she was also seen filming on Castle Street. Following the re-release of the Shake It Off singer's third studio album, Speak Now, on Friday, July 5, Taylor released a music video for a never heard before "vault track" I Can See You, which shows off some of Liverpool's most iconic buildings.

Joey and Lautner, along with writer and musician Presley Cash work together in the music video to free Taylor Swift from a vault, which appears to be located inside the Cunard Building. Taylor Swift will be playing three shows at Liverpool FC's football stadium, Anfield, in June 2024 with special guests Paramore.

Martin Freeman

In October 2023, Martin Freeman was back in Liverpool as he was spotted filming for The Responder series two. Filming for the hit BBC crime drama returned to Merseyside with film crews being spotted on Strathcona Road in Wavertree and Marion Square in Netherton.

People living nearby received letters in the post to confirm The Responder series two was being filmed. Here, you can see film crews taking over Pennington Avenue in Bootle.

Paul Weller

Paul Weller was pictured outside John Lennon’s childhood home Mendips in July 2014. The Modfather squeezed in the visit after a charity gig at the East Village Arts Club.

Paris Hilton

In May 2015, Paris Hilton visited Liverpool to launch her new fragrance at Superdrug. But the millionaire couldn’t resist a spot of sightseeing and popped down to Mathew Street to get a selfie with the John Lennon statue and also went to the Cavern Club.

Kim Cattrall

When the Sex and the City star was in town filming Agatha Christie thriller Witness for the Prosecution, she squeezed in a quick trip to Crosby beach to see the Iron Men. Kim regularly comes back to Merseyside - she was born in Liverpool, before her family migrated to Canada.

Emilia Clarke

Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke was pictured on Crosby Beach and shared snaps alongside Anthony Gormley's iconic Iron Men. She captioned the post: "One ferry across the Mersey and I managed to bag myself a stone cold fox….Liverpool you done stole my heart, and my toes # #sorrynotsorryforthedadjoke #buthesarealgoodlistener #seadipnotadvised"

Henry Winkler

The Fonz spent a few weeks in town during a stint in panto back in 2009. During his down time, the Happy Days legend hit the shops and visited the Cavern where he bought t-shirts for his sons, as well as visiting the now defunct The Noble House on Brunswick Street.

James Cordon and Sir Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney's appearance on James Corden's Carpool Karaoke in 2018 saw The Beatles Star in several areas of the city for filming including in a car on Allerton Road, in the city centre and at the Beatles statue on the Pier Head where he posed for a selfie. He also returned to his childhood home and did an intimate performance at the Philharmonic pub, appearing from behind curtains, much to the shock of pub-goers.

David Hasselhoff

The Baywatch star has visited Liverpool numerous times, to star in panto and play Bongo’s Bingo at Camp and Furnace. Back when he made his first visit to the city - to appear on This Morning, with Richard and Judy - David Hasselhoff also enjoyed a spot of sightseeing, visiting the Beatles museum where he bought a Fab Four t-shirt.

Lana Del Rey

The Born to Die singer took in a tour of Liverpool’s stadium during a visit in 2013 and posed next to the famous ‘This is Anfield’ sign. Lana even watched the Reds in action and wore an LFC scarf for the match.

Daniel Craig

As a huge Liverpool FC fan Daniel Craig, aka, James Bond has been spotted in the crowd at Anfield a few times over the years. The Hollywood Star was pictured watching Liverpool win the Merseyside derby 3-1 back in 2017, dressed in a leather bomber jacket, grey cardigan and a flat cap.

Sylvester Stallone

Many Everton supporters will know of Sylvester Stallone's love for Everton. The Hollywood mega star - best known for his roles in Rocky and Rambo - has admitted in the past that he regrets not buying his beloved Blues after becoming a loyal Evertonian during his famous visit to Goodison Park in 2007.

Fatman Scoop

In 2016, rapper Fatman Scoop was seen sitting amongst the Everton fans at a Derby game. Beforehand, he tipped off fans that he might be heading to Goodison by Tweeting a football emoji and the hastag #EVELIV

Do these awaken any memories for you? Let us know in the comments section below.

Mark Hamill

The Star Wars actor visited a series of Beatles attractions during a visit to the city in summer 2014. Mark, who plays Luke Skywalker in the legendary film series, hopped aboard the Magical Mystery Tour, popped into the Cavern Club and visited the Beatles museum at the Albert Dock.

Matt Smith and Ralph Fiennes

One Liverpool restaurant that welcomed not one, not two, but four Hollywood stars through its doors was the Italian Club on Bold Street. Matt Smith and Ralph Fiennes posed for photos with staff, while Indira Varma and Kenneth Cranham also enjoyed a culinary feast at the restaurant.

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