Graham Norton has confessed to a cringe-worthy moment on The One Show, admitting he failed to recognise an American actress he had worked with multiple times. The chat show host shared the embarrassing tale with presenters Roman Kemp and Lauren Laverne on Tuesday (23 September), explaining how his memory lapse left him feeling 'mortified'.
Norton recounted attending a performance of the musical & Juliet, where he noticed an actress playing the nurse who seemed familiar. 'I was thinking, 'She's very familiar, I'm sure I know her',' he said. 'I thought... Have I worked with you? Am I in something with you? I can't think, I can't think!'
The situation worsened when Norton was invited to meet the cast after the show. As the actress approached, he struggled to place her. 'Her face, not so smiley now,' he recalled. 'It was Keala Settle, from The Greatest Showman. She'd not only been on my chat show twice, she'd been on my radio show to promote & Juliet.'
Kemp and Laverne found the story hilarious, with Kemp burying his head in his hands as Norton chuckled at his own embarrassment. 'I mean, I had every advantage here. I still messed it up, I was mortified. It was so embarrassing!' Norton concluded.
Keala Settle is best known for her role as Lettie Lutz, the bearded lady in The Greatest Showman. She has also appeared in Broadway productions including Hands on a Hardbody and Waitress, and was a contestant on The Masked Singer UK as Air Fryer last year.
