Community pharmacy is a bedrock of the UK high street, so it’s not a surprise the gateway to primary care has seen its fair share of celebrity encounters who need to grab their OTCs and prescriptions. 

C+D reported on Downtown Abbey star Hugh Bonneville being spotted at a Hemel Hempstead independent pharmacy as he filmed scenes for the third instalment of the Paddington Bear film series. 

Read more: Pharmacist’s ‘Virdee’ book will have its TV adaption broadcast on BBC One in 2025 

Football legend Paul 'Gazza' Gascoigne even revealed he was “barred from all the chemists” in Newcastle after his attempts to manage his alcohol addiction led him to excessively purchase Calpol. 

Luxury pharmacy John Bell & Croyden is most likely the number one celebrity pharmacy, with its flagship London store a celeb hotspot as well as its pop-up pharmacy they run at Wimbledon’s tennis championship where they deliver medicines to players and stars in the VIP boxes. 

Read more: Exclusive: Meet The Apprentice’s pharmacist Amina Khan 

But in an exclusive interview with Hello! Magazine last week (October 23), TV presenter Tess Daly explained her close relationship to fellow Strictly Come Dancing co-presenter Claudia Winkleman and the origins of how they met. 

It followed the announcement the same day that the pair will leave the hit BBC dancing show at the end of the current series, with the Christmas special confirmed as the pair’s last episode together. 

Read more: A pharmacist and professional dancer: Meet Dr Zi Hong Mok 

Daly told Hello!: "I remember the first time I ever met her was before we started on Strictly together. We lived near each other, and I bumped into her, and her boy.  

“He was a newborn, now he's 23. So that's how long we've known each other throughout our kids' lives. 

“I opened the chemist door for her, and she came out, and I said hello. That's how I first met her. There's a sort of deep shared history there."  

From glitz to trackies 

Daly and Winkleman have co-hosted Strictly Come Dancing since 2014, but both started on the show before then. 

Daly has presented the hit show since its first episode, while Winkleman originally presented the backstage show Strictly: It Takes Two before hosting the results show with Daly since 2010. 

Read more: Pharmacy featured in ‘Paddington in Peru’ film 

In June, the pair were both made Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for their services to broadcasting. 

In a joint statement following their announcement to leave the BBC show, they said hosting Strictly has been “an absolute dream”.  

“We were always going to leave together and now feels like the right time. We will cry when we say the last ‘keep dancing’ but we will continue to say it to each other. Just possibly in tracksuit bottoms at home while holding some pizza.” 

Read more: Footie's Gazza ‘barred from all Newcastle chemists' over Calpol addiction 

It comes as the 2025 US Open winner J. J. Spaun revealed on the day of his winning round in June, he was woken in the early hours by his daughter and rushed to a CVS pharmacy to get something to deal with her stomach bug. 

In February, England rugby’s most capped player, the scrum half Ben Youngs, opened the new premises of his local Leicestershire pharmacy.