Ben Shephard was put on the spot after Vernon Kay started singing his praises in front of an audience of thousands at this summer’s Pub in the Park event, held in Chiswick. He’d been delivering a series of disco classics behind the decks in front of a celeb-studded crowd including Tom Kerridge and Dr Who’s David Tennant, when he suddenly cut proceedings short.
Spotting the Good Morning Britain star downing a drink at the VIP bar close to the stage, he quipped: “Ben Shephard’s in there! ITV’s Ben Shephard – the most handsome man in television!”
He doubled down on the praise, continuing: “There he is! That is what God created on the ninth day, everyone!” Ben pulled a cheeky face in response, prompting Vernon to shoot back: “Hey, no need for that!”
The VIP guests had been hosted by David Tennant and his wife Georgia, along with special guest Gordon Brown, to raise funds for the latter’s anti-poverty charity, Multibank. £250 was taken from the cost of each pricey £300 ticket to raise money for the cause, leading to £40,000 being raised in total on the night.
Vernon had made his comments ahead of a series of live shows from acts such as The Feeling and Stereo MCs. After admiring Ben’s look, he promised the audience: “We might have a little bit of a boogie!”
He paused for dramatic effect before quipping: “Champagne!”
Meanwhile, Michelin-starred chef Tom Kerridge and Great British Menu star Nathan Davies provided up close and personal live cooking demos, creating dish after dish in a matter of just half an hour.
Tom didn’t spare Nathan’s blushes when he recalled the time the pair narrowly avoided setting the BBC kitchen on fire mid-session.
Other stars in attendance included Lenny Henry, Gaby Roslin, Claudia Winkleman, Kate Thornton and Alex Jones of The One Show.
Meanwhile, BBC Sport’s Clare Balding was spotted enjoying the live music and singing along to every word of The Feeling’s Never Be Lonely.
