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Home / Entertainment

Australian radio hosts recall awkward Denzel Washington, Leonardo DiCaprio moments

Bella Fowler
news.com.au·
4 Aug, 2022 11:39 PM3 mins to read

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Nova's Ryan "Fitzy" Fitzgerald, Michael "Wippa" Wipfli and Sarah McGilvray with Kiwi comedian, Rhys Darby. Photo / Instagram @fitzyandwippa

Nova's Ryan "Fitzy" Fitzgerald, Michael "Wippa" Wipfli and Sarah McGilvray with Kiwi comedian, Rhys Darby. Photo / Instagram @fitzyandwippa

Three hosts of Nova Australia's popular radio show Fitzy & Wippa, aren't immune from brutal celebrity snubs.

Ryan "Fitzy" Fitzgerald, Michael "Wippa" Wipfli and Sarah McGilvray shared their awkward encounters with Hollywood heavyweights this morning, recalling the shame of being rejected for photos in public.

For Wippa, it was spotting Remember The Titans star Denzel Washington in a restaurant overseas that led to his humiliation.

"We were at a restaurant overseas one time and Denzel Washington turned up to the restaurant," he recalled.

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"I started to make my way over to Denzel Washington to get a photo [and] the guy who ran the restaurant was like the middle man, so he jumped in between us and I'm going 'Denzel! Photo?'

"So he jumps in, looks at Denzel and Denzel shakes his head as if to say no, the guy then looks at me and says no," he said, adding: "It was so cold, and in front of everybody I just had to wander back to my seat."

For Wippa, the night he saw Denzel Washington at a restaurant came to mind. Photo / AP
For Wippa, the night he saw Denzel Washington at a restaurant came to mind. Photo / AP

His story prompted Sarah and Fitzy to chime in with a similar fail involving Oscar-winner Leonardo DiCaprio, who they'd spotted out one night at LA's Roosevelt Hotel when they were visiting the city.

"You'd had a few drinks, Sare, and I dared you to go over and [ask for a photo]," Fitzy began.

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"He had his hat down, he had a cigarette in his mouth … the hand went up, 'I don't do photos', and Sarah just turned around and came back," he recalled, with Sarah joking that people should "be friendly at 3am".

"And then I tried to get the sneaky [photo] on the side anyway and security got my phone," Sarah added.

Sarah has copped a brutal photo rejection herself it turns out Leo isn't a fan of photos. Photo / AP
Sarah has copped a brutal photo rejection herself it turns out Leo isn't a fan of photos. Photo / AP

The radio stars don't always strike out with celebrities, however, having formed a close friendship with British superstar Ed Sheeran.

The Shape of You hitmaker even sent Fitzy and Wippa personalised gifts earlier this year; giant matching marble penises painted green and gold.

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A post shared by Fitzy & Wippa on Nova (@fitzyandwippa)

Sheeran, 31, had made good on a promise from a recent interview in which he spoke about the similar phallic statuette he gave Elton John for his 74th birthday, offering to send one to the Nova hosts, too.

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It turns out he wasn't bluffing, with the two bestowed with their very own Aussie-themed versions.

"It's a giant d*** in a box!" Wippa gleefully exclaimed as his co-host removed the stone appendage from its packaging on air in June, teasing, "It looks a bit like you!" as Fitzy struggled with its size.

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