Top 10 Shocking British Celebrity Secrets

Being a billionaire with his own private island, Richard Branson’s often touted as a possible super villain. He hasn’t threatened to destroy the world with a laser beam just yet, but Branson is guilty of irking the government with tax fraud! In his early twenties, the entrepreneur scammed the system by pretending to sell records abroad when they were actually sold in the UK. He received a night in the cells and a hefty fine for his dodgy dealings - but that clearly didn’t dent his future success.

“You’re a wizard, Harry”, and a drunk! Turns out all the magic of the Harry Potter movies may have muddled Daniel more than most, because he was on the sauce whilst on set! While not disclosing which specific instalments of the franchise he was filming at the time, Radcliffe has admitted to turning up to work while still intoxicated. The chosen one clearly craved something stronger than a butterbeer, but thankfully the actor managed to tame his reported ‘drinking problem’ pretty quickly, by going teetotal.

Unfortunately, the man who played the Doctor for a whole new generation doesn't have a real life TARDIS to go back in time and rectify this one. After opening up about his experiences of being bullied as a kid, the former Time Lord admitted to switching from victim to perpetrator, by briefly becoming a school bully himself. Tackling the topic on “Good Morning Britain” in 2016, Eccleston clearly regrets his actions though, and his honesty was widely admired.

Stephen Fry’s a straight up sort of fellow, right? He’d surely never get imprisoned for credit card fraud… Except, he did. At seventeen, the unlikely rebel pinched some plastic from a family friend and proceeded to go on a hectic spending spree, which included a stay at a hotel in Swindon. But that hotel was directly opposite a police station, and young Stephen soon found himself thrown in jail for his criminal carry on - spending three months on remand at Pucklechurch Prison.

After seeing this man’s famous physique in “300”, you might have assumed that the Scottish actor had gotten hooked on some kind of steroids. But, Butler has actually battled an addiction to prescription painkillers. His problems started with a much publicised surfing accident while filming the 2012 movie “Chasing Mavericks”, but the wave of addiction brought longer lasting effects. Butler has also admitted to dabbling with cocaine, but it was the painkillers that pushed him toward seeking professional help.

Once seen as an especially squeaky clean member of Take That, Mark Owen’s rep took a nose dive when he confessed to string of affairs behind his wife’s back and a drinking problem. But the ex-Celeb BB winner didn’t explain away his situation by citing stress and sex addiction, instead he simply admitted to being a “prat”. Mark seeked advice from the likes of his old pal Robbie Williams - who’s faced his share of public problems - and eventually checked himself into rehab.

He’s one of the UK’s most influential musicians, but he’s also an unintentional racist. Or, he used to be. While John Lennon also controversially defended the use of the N-word in the title of a song... It was Paul McCartney who made headlines when he revealed how he had been ‘racist without knowing it’ while growing up. He made the admission during a 2016 interview with the Mail on Sunday, referring to his use of ‘certain words’ that he wouldn’t say now.

For someone who judges people for a living, Simon Cowell sure showed poor judgement here. Ever since becoming a parent, Simon has seemingly cut a different kind of character - with viewers often implying that fatherhood has softened the once-scathing showman. But perhaps Cowell has just been humbled by the scandal surrounding his partner Lauren Silverman’s pregnancy... Because Lauren had been the wife of Simon’s one-time friend, Andrew Silverman - until she and Simon embarked on an affair, which eventually led to the Silvermans’ divorce.

The Royals were none too pleased when these controversial images of a young Queen Elizabeth II - and her Uncle, Edward VIII - found their way onto the front pages of the tabloid press. Yes, that’s the Queen of England performing a Nazi salute! Clearly the images come from a video shot years before the outbreak of World War Two, and at such a young age Elizabeth no doubt had little understanding of the gesture, but the scandal proved a PR nightmare for the Palace when the story broke in 2015.

We all deal with loss in different ways, but Keith Richards is a real one off. The Rolling Stone is world-renowned for his wild lifestyle, but all his antics combined couldn’t top the time he snorted a line of his own father’s ashes! The legendary hellraiser is routinely grilled about the story, ever since he made the macabre revelations back in 2007. Still, Richards clearly rated the experience, reportedly giving his daughters permission to do the same to him, once he has passed away. Rock and roll.