Jamie Vardy's lookalike 'blocked' from following Leicester City striker on Twitter and Instagram

Lee Chapman, a 29-year-old postman and Leicester fan, was given time off work to pursue his career as a lookalike

Mark Critchley
Tuesday 31 May 2016 08:08 EDT
Comments
Jamie Vardy alongside his lookalike Lee Chapman
Jamie Vardy alongside his lookalike Lee Chapman (Twitter/@LCFC)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Jamie Vardy’s lookalike has reportedly been blocked from following the Leicester City striker on social media.

Lee Chapman, a Leicester fan who bears a remarkable resemblance to the England international striker, shot to semi-stardom earlier this month after the Foxes’ historic Premier League title win.

The 29-year-old, who normally works as a postman, was invited onto the team’s coach and celebrated the extraordinary victory with his heroes the day after their achievement was confirmed.

Chapman, who was pictured with Vardy on the day, was subsequently given a six-month break by the Royal Mail to look for work as a lookalike and has been in demand in the weeks since.

However, according to The Sun, the pair’s relationship has now turned sour. Vardy and Rebekah Nicholson, his wife, are believed to have blocked the doppelganger on both Twitter and Instagram.

The player’s agent, John Morris, denies the allegation, though the report also claims that Morris sent a text to Chapman’s management company, warning that legal action could be taken if their client caused any damage to be done to Vardy’s image.

Leicester players celebrate winning the Premier League

“I wish Lee all the best,” Morris, who works for Key Sports Management, told The Sun. “I’ve met him and he comes across as a really nice guy.

“If anything happens to anybody whether you are a sports person or a movie star you have to be protected.

“I don’t know anything about Lee being blocked on Twitter,” he added.

Chapman hailed Vardy as ‘down-to-earth’ and ‘normal’ on the day of his meeting with the players and told The Independent how he had managed to join them on board the team bus.

“Ranieri spotted me,” Chapman said. “The rest of the players were banging on the window for me to get on. I met Jamie, and he said ‘you’re an ugly-looking Jamie Vardy’. He’s just a down-to-earth, normal guy, like me.”

Chapman’s agent, James Austin of the Lookalikes Agency, told The Sun that his client is so upset with the reported blocking, he has considered bringing his career as a lookalike to an end.

Chapman with fans and reporters during Leicester's title celebrations
Chapman with fans and reporters during Leicester's title celebrations (Jack Pitt-Brooke)

“Lee is genuinely upset,” he said. “He’s a true Leicester fan and Jamie is his idol. He would never do anything to bring his hero, Vardy, into disrepute.

“He doesn’t know what he has done to upset them. It’s so bad he was thinking of simply giving up.”

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in