BBC Radio 1 presenter Greg James has opened up about an awkward encounter with Hollywood actress Sandra Bullock, revealing she refused to shake his hand during a press junket interview. Speaking on the Happy Hour podcast with JaackMaate, the 39-year-old described the moment as one of the most uncomfortable interviews he has experienced.
James recalled that as he went to introduce himself, Bullock declined the handshake, saying her child was unwell. "I went to shake her hand, and she said, 'I'm not shaking hands today, my kid's not very well.' What?" he said. He speculated that the actress was concerned about passing on germs from her child to him, adding, "She thought that germs were going to be from her kid's mouth, into her hand, into my hand, and then I'd be ill with Sandra Bullock's kid's flu."
The radio DJ expressed a wish that Bullock had been more straightforward about her reasons. He suggested two possible interpretations: "She could either be being really nice and she's trying to protect you from the kid's illness. Or she could be really bitter. And be like, 'someone's made my kid ill, so I'm not shaking strangers' hands again'."
Fans quickly reacted to the story in the comments, with opinions divided. One supporter said, "Completely valid. She doesn't wanna make you sick," while another accused James of being "weirdly sensitive" about the incident. A third commenter noted, "She meets a tonne of people that day. Her kids are sick. She's either concerned she will spread it amongst every person she shakes hands with or concerned the 40 plus people that will interview her will give her something to spread."
In related news, James was recently invited to Taylor Swift's wedding to Travis Kelce, following a live conversation about her fiancé. When he asked, "Woah, woah. Am I coming?", Swift replied "obviously", though she declined to provide further details.
