James Burrows is swerving his local Marks & Spencer for the foreseeable future after an employee wouldn’t take no for an answer that he did the architecture on her house.
The ‘Coronation Street’ star admits he won’t be going back into the shop "for a while" after an "awkward" exchange with a counters assistant, who claimed she recognised him from working on her abode, despite him insisting it was a case of mistaken identity.
When asked about his strangest fan encounter, he said: "I had a bit of a weird one yesterday – it was quite awkward.
"I went into M&S, and the lady on the counter said, ‘I recognise you, where do I know you from?’
"I replied, ‘Maybe ‘Coronation Street’?’
"And she said, ‘No, sorry, it’s not that – were you the architect for my house?’
"I told her ‘no’ but she wasn’t having it. I won’t be going back there for a while."
While James didn’t do the lady’s architecture, he has dabbled in the construction industry in the past, and still does from time to time.
He said: "I’ve done a lot of work in construction since I was 15 or 16 years old, and I still do a bit for family and friends.
"That’s probably what I’d be doing now if I wasn’t acting, I’m handy around the house."
However, James isn’t likely to follow in his ‘Corrie’ alter-ego Ali Neeson’s footsteps of becoming a doctor anytime soon because he "wouldn’t be the best" medic.
Speaking to Inside Soap magazine, he added: "I’m massively squeamish. Also, I’m a smoker, so I wouldn’t be the best – I’d be a bit of a hypocritical doctor.
"I’ve done first-aid training, though, so I could assist in an emergency – I could perform CPR."
James Burrows swerving shop after ‘awkward’ employee exchange
