From disguises to bad manners: How celebs avoid being pestered in public

Star Wars' Mark Hamill uses "the old wheelchair trick" while Jennifer Lawrence is "incredibly rude" - odd as this sounds, they're revealing how they avoid being pestered in public.

Hamill recently tweeted how he hopped into a wheelchair at an airport to "avoid autograph $alesmen/Dealer$ who constantly badger me (and my family) to increase value of their items".

Hunger Games star Lawrence, who refuses selfies with fans, said: "I just, generally, once I enter a public place, I become incredibly rude - that's kind of like my only way of defending myself."

They're not the only ones.

While celebs often look like they're lapping up all the attention, it's usually because they're promoting something.

But when they want to go out incognito, unwanted advances from the public can be downright intrusive if they're not in the mood.

It's all too easy to to take a photo of a celeb and post it on social media, and of course this is what many stars want to avoid.

Anyone can take a snap of a passing celebrity whether regardless of whether permission is given

Justin Bieber has been known to go shopping in a gas mask - maybe not the best way to avoid attention - while the Kardashians went for full prosthetics and wigs.

Naturally they filmed it for their show, but Kylie Jenner said: "I can't remember what it's like to go out and nobody know who I am."

Khloe Kardashian, Kendall Jenner and Kylie Jenner as they usually look

Khloe transformed into an old lady while her sisters became her granddaughters, with Kendall in a frizzy wig and fake pregnancy bump and Kylie in glasses and a dark wig.

Katy Perry didn't fancy hours in the make-up chair so she tried a bizarre disguise at an airport.

Baseball hat and dark glasses. Check.

But a doughnut pillow? Yes indeed.

Not surprisingly she was spotted and eventually agreed to sign some autographs.

Harry Potter star Rupert Grint went for an interesting way of covering up with a duck mask at a music festival.

"I've never been anywhere in the world where people haven't known who I am and because I'm ginger I stick out like a beacon," he told the Telegraph.

Behind the mask: Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint

"It's difficult at festivals because there are masses of drunk people around, so for a couple of years I've worn an animal mask. The year before last it was a duck and it completely worked."

His fellow star Daniel Radcliffe went a step further and covered himself from head to toe in a Spider Man suit. This allowed him to mingle among hundreds of people at Comic-Con without being recognised.

"I did an American accent for the whole time. I even took a rucksack, so I look like I'm just coming to Comic-Con," he told the Daily Mail.

"I had a whole look. But it was great... I took lots of pictures with people who did not know that it was me."

Michelle Dockery has been known to adopt an American alter ego

Kesha has also been known to venture out incognito to apparently run some errands - with a tiger mask and a minder.

Meanwhile Downton Abbey's Michelle Dockery said that when the show was at its height, she would "pretend to be a wealthy American with an uncanny resemblance to her character, to avoid unwanted attention".

She told the Telegraph she adopted an alter ego she called "rich Britney from Beverly Hills".

Mel Gibson has been known to try to hide his features with glasses, a fake nose and moustache to avoid the paparazzi, and Madonna has covered her face, with a bandana, sunglasses and huge Parka hood.

But celebs take note - a good disguise can occasionally backfire.

Mistaken identity: Richard Gere

To be fair, when Richard Gere dressed up as a homeless person on the streets of New York, he wasn't trying to avoid being spotted - it was for a film role.

But a kind passer-by thought he really was destitute and gave him pizza, forcing the cameras to stop rolling.

Still, at least he got a free lunch.