STRAIGHT-talking public relations guru Steve Dunne has his feet planted more firmly on the ground than most travel PRs in Backchat’s acquaintance.
To our knowledge he’s never been known to call anyone ‘darh-ling’, give out big air kisses or buy a bottle of bolly.
So it came as a huge surprise to everyone at Travel Weekly to discover that Steve is a member of that most infamously pretentious of celebrity hangouts, the Groucho Club in London’s Soho.
This only became known when the Affinity Consulting boss, who boasts an impressive client portfolio including Universal Studios Escape, Star Cruises, Port Aventura and TVTravel Shop, used his exalted member status to hire out the Groucho for his company’s 10th anniversary bash.
Steve admitted to being gratified at being able to rub shoulders with the likes of TV presenter Roland Rivron in the Groucho bar.
“The barman said ‘Hello Steve’ and Roland peered at me like I must be someone famous who he ought to recognise,” he recounted smugly.
However, we’re not sure if Steve will ever be allowed back in the club following the embarrassing behaviour of one of his guests.
Travel Weekly reporter Moe Kafer (a Canadian who’d never even heard of the Groucho), took a fancy to comedian Vic Reeves and decided to chat him up.
Unfortunately, she opened with the unpromising line “What’s your name?”
Reeves was decidedly unimpressed with this approach, and cut her dead with the immortal line: “Vic Reeves…and now can I get back to my private conversation?” Ouch.