Fantasy vs Reality: My Celebrity Crush

I have been in love with Jordan Knight (pictured....ahhhh!) since I was a fetus. Ok maybe not quite a fetus but certainly from about the age of 10 onwards he's been my number one celebrity fantasy. I'm sure there are some younger folk reading this blog thinking, “Who the f**k is Jordan Knight??”. Well, he is in the band New Kids On The Block. A five piece boyband from Boston that were bigger than Jesus in the late 80's and early 90's selling over 70 million albums of their perfect packaged and parent friendly pop turning them into the pin up boys for a generation of caterwauling teeny boppers. 

As with most boy bands there was a “Kid” for every taste. If you were into big muscles you were a Danny girl. If bad boys with more swagger than vocal ability were your thing, you were a Donnie girl. If you were into young boys.....erm, ok, scrub that......if you were into cute as a button, big blue eyed boys then you were a Joey girl. If sensitive, fragile and shy types got your motor running you were a Jon girl AND if you liked dark, sexy, exceptionally talented, hot as a thousand burning suns men you were a Jordan girl. That was me. A devoted Jordan girl. Whilst most 10 year olds were playing with Cabbage Patch Kids I would spend my evenings alone in my room surrounded by my beloved and kind of sticky Jordan posters, listening to “I'll Be Loving You Forever” over and over and thinking up strange and slightly disturbed love triangles with my Jordan Doll, Ken and Barbie. Oh the tension.

I think when you are 10 years old and get your first crush on a boy its kind of an eye opening time. I had a child's brain so my Jordan fantasies didn't really extend much beyond, “hmmm, I bet he has a really cool car and could drive me to the mall. We could get McDonalds shakes and play Pac Man”. Ya know, cause that would be sooo rad. The innocence of youth. I did heart him more than anything though. I remember writing a letter of complaint to Smash Hits magazine when I was 11 because they put they staples across his face. How dare they sully his beautiful visage!

Fast forward 20 years. Its 26^th June 2009, 3pm on a sunny Saturday afternoon. My 30 year old self standing in a hallway at the Tinley Park Amphitheatre in Chicago with aforementioned love crush, Jordan Knight walking towards me; all shiny white teeth and adorable dimples with his arms open wide. How did I get to this moment? More to the point, how did I get to this moment and still manage to breathe air in and out and act like a normal, functioning mammal. This was Jordan Knight!! The man I was supposed to marry! I got to this momentous moment by somehow winning a competition that was posted by Jordan on Twitter. Ahhh Twitter. Making the gap between celebrities and stalkers that much smaller. Alas I digress, the prize was an all expenses paid trip to see NKOTB in Chicago and hang out with Jordan. My inner 10 year old was jumping for joy. My outer 30 year old was incredibly horny. It's hard to put into words what its like meeting a celebrity that you have been crushing on for as long as you can remember. For me, Jordan, in his fantasy form had been the longest relationship I had ever had. My first crush, my first love, the guy that all guys that followed would be measured against and whilst no one is perfect, to me he was and still is.

Meeting your favourite celebrity can sometimes be disappointing. As fans we tend to have unrealistic expectations of our heros and sit them up high on a pedestal. If they do not conform to the fantasy image we have of them mainly carved out by mainstream media and other PR overlords, we can be left feeling disappointed. Jordan however , exceeded my expectations. Even more beautiful at age 38 than at age 20, kind, generous, funny, goofy, sweet, shy, vulnerable, cheeky...he was the perfect host and the perfect gentleman.

Its a very rare occasion when reality outshines fantasy.

So I raise a glass to your Mr Jordan Knight. My first and last Celebrity Love Crush.

You can follow (but not too closely) the object of my affection on Twitter @jordanknight

New Kids On The Block are currently doing a small series of Casino concert dates across the US. Check out www.nkotb.com for more details