Awkward! Hugh Grant cosies up to mum for photo... while she continues to suckle infant

Clearly unwilling to miss the opportunity to have her photo taken with a celebrity, this smirking mum continued to breastfeed her baby as she sidled up to Hugh Grant for a quick snapshot.

It is not clear if the actor turned anti-phone hacking campaigner was aware of what was going on just a few inches below his chin, but if he did he pretended not to notice.



Hugh, 52, was in The Castle Inn in Dover, Kent when he was photographed with the mum and hungry baby.



Hugh Grant was pleased to meet baby Sebastian McMullan and his mum Natalie, who used to be a barmaid



It was a bizarre place for the actor to visit - just over a year ago he was there getting a secret confession from the pub's owner and the baby's dad, Paul McMullan, about illicit activities at The News Of The World, where he was a journalist.

As big names including Steve Coogan joined Hugh's campaign to clean up the press, Paul received six police visits and was made give evidence at The Leveson Inquiry under the threat of a stint of prison.



But, there were no hard feelings when Hugh popped in to the pub Paul is the proprietor of, and the two men chatted amiably about babies.

Breast of pals: Hugh, baby Sebastian and Natalie pose for a snapshot in The Castle Inn



Paul revealed there was no need for him to be annoyed, as he got his own back on the posh actor just a few weeks after he tricked him in to confessing the illegal data collection methods.

He said: 'After he turned the tables by taping me with a sneaky pen mic last year I got my own back a couple of weeks after by publicising the fact he had secretly got a girl pregnant.

'Funnily enough it made the front page of one of the News of the World’s final editions.'

And it was fatherhood on the agenda today, as Hugh opened up about how he's finding being a first time dad.



Late last year, it was revealed that he had fathered a little girl, Tabitha, with Chinese lady Tinglan Hong.



Paul, 45, revealed: 'I didn’t expect him to be quite so candid about his pride at being a hands on dad. I think he still hopes half the staff of the News of the World will go to jail but we are both new dads and he let his guard down.'

Old foes: Hugh Grant was happy to pose with Paul McMulland and his baby, despite previous run-ins while Paul was at the News Of The World



Hugh showed just how hands-on he was when he cradled Paul's baby son Sebastian, who was in the bar with his mum Natalie, 29, who once worked there as a barmaid.

But there was an awkward moment when Natalie accidentally bared her breast at the Love Actually star.

She remembered: 'Hugh came straight over to me on the sofa and said, "Oh hello, how are you?"

'I was blushing furiously and when he held out his hand he suddenly realised I was breast feeding but because it was Hugh I felt I had to take it, but as I moved my arm the baby slipped down and he said, "Oh I am so sorry," and moved back and I only stroked his hand instead of shaking it.



Not awkward: Hugh gives Sebastian a cuddle at the Dover, showing off his hands-on dad skills

'He said: “I will just turn round for a minute,” and as he turned his back I popped the baby back on. He wasn’t comfortable with breast feeding.'

Hugh and Paul exited the bar area, but returned after half an hour where again he was faced with the hungry child.

'He said: “Oh God is that baby still breast feeding?"' said Natalie.

'I said: “No he was on this one before and now he is on this one," and I felt a bit silly. Hugh Grant was standing in front of me and I couldn’t say anything sensible.'