"It's not real" - Lewis Hamilton talks about fame and celebrity lifestyle

Lewis Hamilton answered a young fan’s questions in the press conference in Abu Dhabi where he mentioned being famous is unreal.

The Briton mentioned the normalcy of being a celebrity and the normal life he lives.

Speaking at the FIA drivers' press conference for the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Hamilton said:

“The thing is at the end of the day, it is not really real. Obviously, you are perceived as being someone they call a celebrity but just cause we are on TV a little bit. It's definitely surreal when people recognize you at a restaurant or walking down a street. But at the end of the day, you're still the same person, we are still human beings, still do the same thing.”

According to Lewis Hamilton, life as a celebrity can be overwhelming but a facade. The driver shed light on the normalcy of being a public figure, and felt he had a similar life to what he had before becoming famous.

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Lewis Hamilton still feels normal when he visits home

The Stevenage-born British driver still visits the place he grew up in, and feels his life there is similar to what it was as a child. Lewis Hamilton shared that his family still followed similar routines that he was used to in the past.

Shedding light on life outside the limelight, Hamilton said:

“Still get to go home to nearby where I grew up. The family does the same thing. My parents still watch Carnation Street and Eastenders, I don’t know if Eastenders is still going. Do I get free ice cream? There is one place at home that they do ice cream. But no they don’t give us free ice cream. I need to take that up a bit.”

The seven-time world champion answered most of the young fan’s questions apart from the free ice cream bit, where the young girl wondered if celebrities were entitled to free ice cream because they were famous. Although the Mercedes driver said he did not get any, he wished to try getting some in the future.