Hilarious moment father is mobbed by screaming fans after being mistaken for Pitbull at rapper's O2 concert

Daily Mail​

16-06-2025

This is the moment a father was mobbed by screaming fans after being mistaken for Pitbull at the rapper's concert.
Phil Mansford, 49, went to the O2 Arena in London last week to see the real Mr. Worldwide but ended up becoming the star of the night himself.
As he strolled through the busy queue, people began screaming, pointing and leaving their spots in line to follow him, convinced they were in the presence of the rapper.
Phil, wearing a suit and aviator sunglasses, played along and waved his arm around which further added to the excitement.
People lined up on either side of them and recorded Phil with their phones as his friend pretended to be his bodyguard. Starstruck screams could be heard in the background.
Phil's daughter, Niamh, 23, shared the video online on June 11 where it quickly attracted a staggering 2.6m views.
'My parents went to see Pitbull at The O2 with some friends,' Niamh, from Bedfordshire, said.
'He didn't sign any autographs, but he took selfies with people.
'People were grabbing him and high-fiving him.'
She added: 'It was mad. 'He was a bit shocked to begin with but then he thought, "You know what this is brilliant", and just went with it.
'Everyone was cheering him through the O2.'
As other concert-goers stopped dead in their tracks at the sight of the Mr Worldwide lookalike, he made his way up some escalators. Phil's friend filmed a video himself as attendees swarmed the floor below them.
Phil, also from Bedfordshire, attended the concert on June 10. Since Niamh shared the video, she has received 390,900 likes and tonnes of comments from viewers.
One viewer said: 'This is the funniest thing ever. Everyone screaming at the bottom.'
Steph said: 'Omg I have a video of everyone going mad, all convinced Pitbull just strolled through the crowd.' 'Stop this is so funny,' Beth added.
Fran said: 'I am dead this is brilliant.' 'Phil really said uno, dos, tres, cuatro,' The O2 joked.
It comes after a Paul Weller fan told how staff at a curry house mistook him for the singer - and said he was forced to deny being the Modfather after being asked for his autograph eight times.
Martin Carroll had gone to see his idol in Wolverhampton last year when he found himself at the centre of a bizarre case of mistaken identity.
By the end of it, the 56-year-old, who has dead straight blonde hair just like the star, was screaming 'I'm not Paul Weller, I'm just Martin from accounts' but no one was listening.
The saga began as Martin from Stratford-upon-Avon, was waiting for his mate near the concert hall when a chef appeared from a nearby restaurant and asked him to sign his apron.
'I told him, "I'm not Paul Weller",' said Martin, 'but that was just the start of it.
'My friend Carl likes a curry before going to a gig so when he arrived we asked if they were open, went in and sat down.
'One member of staff came over and asked for a picture when we got out starters and I told him that I wasn't Paul Weller but they weren't listening.
'When the bill came, it was about £110 so my mate and we went halves on it and I showed them my card.
'I even got out my phone to show them a picture of me with Paul Weller to show them what he really looked like.
'At the end of the meal, the restaurant owner came over with her daughter asking for an autograph and I told them too that I was Martin. I must have told them eight times.'
But this was not enough to convince Bilash Restaurant that they had not just served a star.
Within minutes of the snap being taken they had uploaded it to their Facebook page with the words: 'The legend Paul Weller here dining tonight just before performing at the halls.
'Thank you #paulweller for choosing us for your dining experience.'