Staff at garden centre cafe left a 'little bit starstruck' after surprise visit from Keeley Hawes
Staff at a Kidderminster garden centre's farm shop and cafe were a left a "little bit starstruck" after acting sensation Keeley Hawes made a surprise visit.
The actress – known for her roles in Line of Duty and BBC 1 drama Bodyguard – visited Hodgehill Garden Centre's farm shop and cafe for lunch on Friday.
She ended up spending the afternoon at the Birmingham Road centre and posed for a picture with staff, who described her as "very sweet and friendly".
Cafe manager Scott Wilcox-Wright said it had been a normal busy Friday lunchtime and the visit from the star was "completely out of the blue".
He said: "One of my colleagues said to me 'the lady from Line of Duty is standing at the till' and I just thought 'no, it's not – it's someone who looks like her'.
"I was expecting it to be the actress who was 'Kate' (Fleming, played by Vicky McClure in Line of Duty) who has short hair. I saw her and thought 'it's definitely not her' but there was a query at the till, and I looked at her as she looked at me and she said hello.
"And I thought 'it's Keeley Hawes' instantly. I really didn't expect it, it was quite surreal. She was very sweet and friendly, very down to Earth, and had we not recognised her she would've blended in with everyone else. She's a very nice lady."
Mr Wilcox-Wright said she had popped in with her mother and another person, with Mrs Hawes' mother apparently living not to far away. They ordered food with the actor choosing a carrot and coriander soup with a Worcestershire Gold cheese toastie.
He admitted he was "a little bit starstruck" by the star, who played DCI Lindsay Denton in Line of Duty and Home Secretary Julia Montague in Bodyguard. She later did some shopping and bought some fresh produce and posed for a photo.
