‘She shook my little hand’: Fans swoon after meeting Pamela Anderson in Victoria

'She shook my little hand': Fans swoon after meeting Pamela Anderson in Victoria
CHEK

A few hundred people eager to meet Ladysmith’s Pamela Anderson lined up outside Mayfair Shopping Centre in Victoria on Monday, including one fan who said she would “never recover” after shaking hands with the star.

Anderson, a 55-year-old actor, activist and former Playboy Playmate, stopped by Indigo Mayfair for the Love, Pamela book signing event that started at noon. The memoir, released Jan. 31 alongside her Netflix documentary, Pamela, a love story, “reclaims her life,” reads a synopsis. 

Oak Bay resident Holly, who’s been a fan of Anderson for years, says she got to the store around 6:30 a.m. That’s when she was met by about 50 others already waiting in line for a wristband to get into the event, and the crowd quickly began to grow.

“She’s an icon,” Holly said.

“I feel like I’ve been around her my whole life. She’s a strong woman, and it would be amazing to be in her presence after all these years of admiring her,” she told CHEK News. “It’s probably the biggest celebrity I would have ever met in my life.”

Another fan travelled from Vancouver to meet Anderson.

“She’s an inspiration to women. She needs to make things right that were done wrong to her,” the woman said. “I strongly believe that she has huge courage and guts to do what she did. I’m very proud of her, and I just want to tell her that.”

After Holly met Anderson, CHEK News spoke with her again. She was swooning.

“Anderson shook my little hand and then held my hand in both of her hands. I will never recover,” she exclaimed. “Oh my goodness. She’s so beautiful, oh my gosh. Wow.”

Yet, wristbands were limited, meaning not everyone’s day was made. Unlike Holly, some were left empty-handed.

“I’m not disappointed, I’ll get to meet her. I know I will,” one woman who missed the opportunity told CHEK News. “I think our paths have crossed before. Pamela is an inspiration to all women, and she’s a warrior. We love her. Go, Pam, go.”

Another woman and her mother were left in a similar situation. Only the pair weren’t as optimistic, saying they travelled from Campbell River to attend, albeit without luck.

“My elderly mother and I arrived at 7:15 a.m. to a lineup of over 250 people. As it turns out, they only had 100 wristbands. The rest of us were disappointed, of course. Many of us travelled from various places,” the woman said in an email.

“My elderly mother was in tears,” she added. “I’ve never seen her so disappointed.”

Leading up to the event, Indigo said attendees had to purchase a copy of the book in-store or show proof of purchase to receive a wristband. People were invited to stand outside the store on a first-come, first-served basis until capacity was reached.

And while Holly hasn’t read Anderson’s book just yet, she plans to. It currently holds a 3.8/5 on the book-review website GoodReads.

“I’m really excited to read it,” added Holly, looking at the cover. “It’s so awesome. A lot of thought went into it. The artistic integrity is definitely there.”

 

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Ethan MorneauEthan Morneau

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