Celia Imrie, a star of The Celebrity Traitors, has revealed that she was once stopped by police in the US after being accused of "street walking". The 74-year-old Calendar Girls actress shared the story during a recent conversation with ex-rugby player and fellow contestant Joe Marler on his podcast, Joe Marler Will See You Now.
An Unexpected Encounter in Fresno
Joe Marler invited Celia to recount an "adventure" from her past that may have led to a "bit of trouble", asking whether she had ever been arrested. Celia then shared details of a mishap in the US, revealing that she had once "very nearly" been arrested in Fresno, California.
At the time, Celia was in Los Angeles and had a friend in Davis, about 400 miles to the north. They decided to meet halfway. She told the podcast: "We got there at sort of about half past six at night, looking for the hotel that we'd booked, which was the Radisson, and it was all boarded up."
A Misunderstanding on the Streets
Celia said it was already dark, so they moved to a better-lit area. When two men approached, she stopped them to ask for directions to their hotel, but they apparently misunderstood her intentions. "And they took terrible fright and thought I was trying to pick them up and sort of scarpered," she explained.
Moments later, a police car drew up. Celia recounted: "And the next minute, this police car drew up and said, 'Are you two street walking and... seriously!' And we said, 'No, we're looking for a hotel'. She said, 'Get in'. And she put the flat of her hand on my head and shoved me down into this, back of her police car, you know, black and white, real flashing and everything."
A Free Ride to the Hotel
Luckily, the officer quickly realised they were telling the truth. She checked on her walkie-talkie and confirmed that the hotel had indeed moved to the other side of town. "She said, 'But you should not be walking around, you two. This is not a safe place for you'. And I got a free ride in a police car all the way to the front door of the Radisson. And I don't think the receptionist was very pleased," Celia added.
Celia described sitting in the back of the US police car, saying the seat felt like "Bakelite". Joe joked that she had "enjoyed" the experience, and Celia replied that she "loved" it.
