Leonardo DiCaprio visits Edinburgh cafe
Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio has signed autographs outside an Edinburgh restaurant in what is thought to be his first visit to Scotland.
The Oscar winner is in Edinburgh to speak at the Scottish Business Awards at the EICC. DiCaprio visited Home, a restaurant in Queensferry Street which gives its profits to the homeless. Hundreds of fans were waiting for his arrival. Many had queued in the rain for hours. Last year George Clooney visited Social Bite in Rose Street. Clooney's visit was arranged by entrepreneurs Tom Hunter and Josh Littlejohn, the co-founder of Home and Social Bite, ventures that help the homeless community by allowing customers to pay for food and drink for the vulnerable. Home provides training and employment programmes for members of the Social Bite Academy, a four-year paid course for homeless people. DiCaprio made no comment to the waiting media as he shook hands with Mr Littlejohn and went inside the building. Elise Lovell, 45, was the winner of a competition to have lunch with Hollywood star. She said she had bought eight tickets and felt like she had won the Lottery. Ms Lovell said Di Caprio was "absolutely charming". She said they talked about his films and his work with director Martin Scorsese, his environmental work and the election of Donald Trump as US president. Ms Lovell said: "He said it was definitely a shock." Fan Carol Honeyman left her house in Larbert at 05:00 to see DiCaprio. She carried a large canvas of a scene from The Departed, which the movie star signed. She said: "I don't really know why I do these things but it was so worth it. "I got this canvas signed before by Ray Winstone, and now it's complete with Leo's. "I've actually met him before when I went down to the Baftas in London but it's just nicer to say I've seen him closer to home. He's a star." Sonny Murray, 37, who works at Social Bite, met DiCaprio at Home. He said: "I caught him checking himself out in the mirror." Maria Luisa, 65, from Edinburgh, said she was probably the oldest fan there. She said DiCaprio shook her hand, adding: "He didn't spend long enough with crowd." Home is a not-for-profit venture opened in September, with a menu of French and Scottish cuisine. Diners are encouraged to "pay forward" meals for the homeless, who can attend a special service for those sleeping rough every Monday between 15:00 and 17:00. Leonardo DiCaprio won his first Oscar earlier this year for survival epic, The Revenant. The star of Titanic and the Wolf of Wall Street had been nominated six times.