Superstar Sir Patrick Stewart celebrates his 70th birthday at Huddersfield University with Andy Booth and Lee Clark

Jul 15 2010 Huddersfield Daily Examiner

HE might be a Hollywood mega star but Sir Patrick Stewart chose to celebrate his 70th birthday right here in Huddersfield.

Sir Patrick, an avid Huddersfield Town fan, toasted his landmark birthday with former Terriers players Andy Booth and Trevor Cherry and the club’s manager Lee Clark, in a party at Huddersfield University.

And Sir Patrick, who is chancellor of the university, admitted: “It’s been the best birthday ever”.

The X-Men and Star Trek actor said: “When I was an eight-year-old boy I would go to watch Town with my uncle at the old ground on Leeds Road and sit on the terraces.

“If some-one had told me then that Town players and managers would be coming to my birthday I wouldn’t have believed them.

“I had a long chat with Lee about the coming season. I didn’t give him any tips – I’ll leave that to the experts.”

Sir Patrick, well-known for playing Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek, said he was still coming to terms with reaching 70.

He said: “Seventy is just ridiculous. I don’t think I’m 70, there must have been a computer glitch somewhere.

“I don’t know what happened, it feels like only a few days ago I was celebrating my 40th.

“I think not acknowledging that I’m getting old helps keep me young.

“I still love my job and I love it more than ever have now because I love being on stage.”

Sir Patrick said he was too old to be holding grudges against people after a recent spat with comedian James Corden on the podium of the Glamour Awards.

He said: “The ironic thing is that I’m a big fan of James Corden, but as my daughter would say it all went a bit pear-shaped – I don’t quite know what happened.

“My humour and his humour sort of collided and I wasn’t aware that he was so upset about it.

“I had had a wonderful night and I was trying to be entertaining.

“There are no grudges, non whatsoever.”