Fact is, famous people say fame stinks because they love it so - like a secret restaurant or holiday island they don’t want the hoi polloi to get their grubby paws on.

Burchill argues that complaints about fame are frequently strategic rather than sincere. By comparing celebrity to a “secret restaurant” or exclusive “holiday island,” she suggests fame functions like a scarce luxury good: its value depends on limited access and social distinction. When famous people say “fame stinks,” they may be protecting the exclusivity that makes celebrity rewarding—status, deference, and special treatment—while disavowing the snobbery involved. The quote also critiques the gatekeeping impulse: the fear that if ordinary people (“the hoi polloi”) gain proximity to celebrity, the aura and privileges of fame will be diluted.