Starstruck in Shrewsbury

I don’t know why, but a lot of people have been tutting at me today, says our News Blogger David Burrows.

Just because, inspired by the pictures of Aussie soap star Natalie Blair, I’ve finished every conversation about her with: “Oh no she isn’t!”

Some people just don’t know how to get into the spirit of the season.

The lovely Natalie agreed to dine with a couple of my colleagues on Thursday night as well as pose for a series of photographs (although I suspect as our ‘toggie inserted the third memory card into his camera she may have felt like she was being slightly harassed).

You would have thought my two female colleagues who went to meet her were a couple of schoolgirls as they giggled out of the pub - sorry, library - to rendezvous at the Lion Hotel, saying how nervous they were.

They obviously overcame those nerves, because they were able to get some great comments from Natalie. I did, however, win my bet that one of them would slip up and call her Carmella.

Apparently a walk to McDonald’s helped the Antipodean beauty fall for the charms of Shrewsbury, where she is about to appear in the pantomime Snow White.

“Shrewsbury? I’m lovin’ it,” she said.

Okay, she didn’t. But she did say she loved the town and could see herself retiring here someday.

One of my two colleagues decided to get her autograph for me.

I would like to make it quite clear I DID NOT ask her to.

In any way.

At all.

On it she wrote: “I wish I’d met you.”

Now, I’m looking for somewhere else to live. The idea of a houseshare does not appal me.

So, Nat (can I call you Nat?) it’s a deal. You retire to Shrewsbury (can you retire at 23?) and we’ll get a house together.

I promise to wake early every morning to fetch you a McDonald’s breakfast.

Deal?