Our beautiful seaside town is loved by A-list stars & Premier League legends – they’re drawn in by famous attraction
A-LISTERS and Premier League legends flock to this seaside town to get a taste of one major attraction.
Residents have left glowing reviews of the idyllic beach town where VIPs are spotted on the regular – to them, celebrities “just blend in.”
Locals of Leigh-on-sea are eating cockles with politicians, working out with X-factor stars and telling football icons to get to the back of the queue.
The “trendy” Essex hotspot has a high street that’s a regular film set destination and a famous fishmonger that’s been winning awards since 1880.
Osborne Cafe and Seafood merchant has been in the family for five generations and the staff said A-listers travel for miles just to check out their celebrated shellfish.
Staff member Karen, who’s worked at the beloved restaurant for 130 years according to colleagues, recently snapped a selfie with Boris Johnson.
She said: “Well we’ve had Boris Johnson, Priti Patel, Prime minister Rishi – oh and Brigit Jones’ dad – Jim Broadbent.
“We had those two twin signers, Jedward – they were down with Gemma Collins.
“The Hairy Bikers, Denise Walsh. We’ve had so many, and obviously, TOWIE.”
TOWIE, The Only Way is Essex, has been based in the region for 34 seasons and the TV personalities are often seen pottering about the seaside site.
The family-run fishmonger looks out onto the shores of the Thames Estuary and was so popular it launched its own seafood school.
With rows of picnic tables and benches outside the vendors, there are plenty of secret spots for hotshots to keep hidden.
General Manager Jason Hales, 49, said they definitely get “a fair few” celebrities on their doorstep looking for cockles – so many that he couldn’t even name them all.
He said: “Jack Whitehall‘s been down here, Jamie Oliver, Mark White, Michelle Keegan, Bradley Walsh.
“They’ll come down and they’ll try the cockles.
“We had a chef cooking in here, Michel Roux Jr. – he was actually cooking in the kitchen doing Roux down the River.”
Next door to Osbornes is The Crooked Billet, a traditional British pub serving a range of English classics.
Inside the historic boozer VIPs huddle in the corner, nursing a pint, or head out with their hood up to check out the picturesque view undisturbed.
Local resident Luke said they pop up all over the place and that there were so many you barely notice them.
He said: “There are famous people here all the time – Steven Mulhern’s always down here, Gemma Collins is here every now and then, footballers every now and then, ex-managers.
“Phil Jupitus used to go and hide somewhere on the sea wall, have a couple of drinks and then disappear.”
Luke said even John Terry was spotted at the Crooked Billet but the bartender didn’t recognise the Premier League legend and sent him to the back of the queue.
“Most of them are really nice people,” he added. “Every now and then they just pop up for 10 minutes, you catch a glimpse and then they’re gone again.”
The charming coastal town is known for its rich heritage, picture perfect views, and vibrant community high street.
Southend residents are no strangers to stardom as it’s scenic landscape makes it a highly sought-after area for film sets.
From The Walking Dead to Wonder Woman, the hometown of Helen Mirren has almost made it on the big screen as much as those who hang out there.
Recently Michail Antonio was spotted filming an advert near the pier.
With a mix of boutique shops, swathes of wildlife, and distinctive Leigh beaches, it’s no wonder it’s picked out as a top beauty spot.
X-factor singer Olly Murs was spotted jogging down the iconic Leigh steps earlier this month and shared the “beautiful” view on social media.
On Instagram, he posted: “It’s 7am in the morning and look at that – beautiful.”
The 40-year-old music sensation has decided to settle down in the area with his wife, professional bodybuilder Amelia Tank.
Essex boy Olly has taken photos with other joggers on the Leigh steps and has been his journey to the pier and back is said to be a usual route of his.
Tinted Twig store Manager Karen Cregor, 40, joked: “I haven’t seen Olly Murs running around yet but if you spot him send him to us.”
Despite a slew of entertainers living in Leigh-on-sea, there was one superstar who was mentioned over and over again.
Security guard and “local hero” Ted the Ledge can be seen monitoring the high street stores and his iconic status has even reached London.
Very-important-pup Ted the cavachon is a houshold name in the seaside town and a resident bouncer of the boutique.
Top dog owner Justine Spicer, 53, runs Just Loveleigh and Just Fox – two popular shops on the high street.
She said: “Ted’s famous, he’s Ted the Ledge.
“One of my customers got into a taxi in London and she said she’d come from Leigh-on-sea, they said ‘do you know Ted’ she said ‘what the Ted the dog?’ and apparently he knew him.
“He’s a local hero.”
Justine, who serves the likes of Rachel Riley and Lucy Meck, said it’s “a lovely little town” and everyone is very happy living here.
Justine was stopped by countless customers who knew her and she praised the residents for shopping locally.
Customer Susan Van Praagh, 63, who was dressed in garments from Just Loveleigh, praised Leigh’s tight-knit community: “It’s got a very village feel, if I walk through Leigh I’m never ever on my own.
“I’ll wave to the butchers, the guy at the greengrocers calls me Mrs Cauliflower lady because I buy loads of veg – that kind of thing.”
Along the high street more independent shops pop up – including The Dressmaker Fabrics which kept its clients very close to its chest.
Shop owner Marc Carter, 42, said: “We do but I can’t tell you any names obviously that’s confidential – there are customers that come in to get their dresses made but I can’t mention them.”
Marc gushed about Leigh and is thrilled that residents tend to shop locally.
He added: “The people are fantastic, really loyal. It’s a beautiful place to live and a lovely community.”
Nurse Gill Morgan, 72, and John Garrett, 71, were dresses up to the nines and taking a stroll down to the Old Town, where all the VIPs supposedly hang out.
John revealed he’d travelled all the way from Yorkshire just to be in Leigh-on-sea.
Gill said: “It’s quite a trendy place here especially up the high street – there are lots of nice restaurants.
“I saw Bradley Walsh the other day, he was eating over at No1 Cockleshed.”
Playing with their tots in a nearby playground, yummy mummies Leanna Windsor, 36, and Bobbie Kenny, 41, said there’s one place to go if you want to do some celeb spotting.
Hairdresser Leanna said: “The best place to go in the Rosalin, Rio Ferdinand was there last week.
With crisp white tablecloths, chandeliers, and sea views it’s clearly hangout favourite for former English footballers.
They said: “We love it here, you’ve got everything haven’t you you’ve got the beach you’ve got the woods.
“You’ve got amusements you’ve got the shops – especially when the sun comes out.”
The flourishing town was recently crowned by Rightmove as the happiest place to live in the county – and not because it’s rife with VIPs.
Residents are currently gearing up for Leigh Folk Festival which is taking place on April 5 and is always a must-go for Leigh locals.
Manager Sally Obsorne, 49, said the community really makes it, whether you’re a celebrity or not, and the town takes pride in their neighbourhood.
She said: “I’ve grown up here and it is a very lovely place, we’re very lucky with where we live.
“Everyone’s treated the same, whoever they are – if they’re a customer to us they’ll get our time.
“It doesn’t matter if they’re Gemma Collins or Joe Bloggs, we value every customer whether they’re famous or not.”