Look-alike Shefford dad mistaken for hip-hop star Pitbull
A father-of-four who was mistaken for the rapper and singer Pitbull and mobbed by fans at one of his concerts says the whole experience has been "crazy". Phil Mansford, 49, from Shefford, Bedfordshire, decided to go a gig at the O2 Arena in London dressed as the Latin hip-hop star in a "standard suit" - with shades on. It has become a custom to dress like the star, donning his trademark glasses, shirts and jackets - and a bald cap.Mr Mansford said his wife had "stuck a bit of mascara" on his greying beard, before fans began "screaming and shouting and running towards me", believing he was the star.
His wife Nicole took a video of the fans' reactions, sent it to their daughter Niamh, who posted it on TikTok. The reel has had more than 3.8 million views and has been shared more than 55,000 times. "I had no idea it was going to blow up like that, it's crazy," Mr Mansford said.He added that he was wearing "just a standard suit with shades", but due to being "follically challenged", no bald cap was needed.As a bit of fun, he added, "my wife just stuck a bit of mascara on my little beard, to make it darker, as I'm going grey. "I had no idea it was a cult following [to dress like Pitbull]."
Mr Mansford said people started to notice the similarities when he was on the train heading to the concert. "As we got closer to the O2 a few more people started shouting at me," he said. "I was sticking my thumbs up, I was loving the attention, and my wife was rolling her eyes. "As we got inside, people were dancing and getting in the vibe, someone must have said 'that's him'."
"The next thing - it went mad, everyone was screaming, shouting and running towards me", he said. "I was with my mate Mike [Metrovich], he's an absolute diamond, and he's a personal trainer, so he looks the part and he pretended to be my bodyguard pushing people out the way and saying, 'no, no, no, move back'."He said although he is not a massive fan of the Fireball singer, the concert was "absolutely brilliant, top drawer". Mr Mansford, the manager of a day centre for adults with learning disabilities, said he just "milked the moment for all he could" and the whole experience had been "amazing".
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