Who says Malta is isolated from the glitz and glamour of international celebrity gossip? One Maltese woman just experienced some juicy Hollywood banter first-hand.

31-year-old Philosophy teacher Stephanie Falzon has been a big fan of actor-musician Idris Elba for nearly a decade now, but this weekend saw the Maltese woman’s relationship with the British superstar being taken to a whole new level. Elba, who recently got very close to being named the new James Bond, apparently sent a private Facebook message to Falzon a couple of weeks ago, and very soon, all hell broke loose.

“I just found this in my inbox, OMG!” Falzon said last Thursday, sharing a screenshot of a private message on Facebook from Elba himself. It took Falzon a while to come across the message in her requests folder, but after that and her initial shock, an actual conversation between the two soon developed.

“I still don’t know if it’s the real thing or not, but if it is, it’s amazing,” Stephanie told Lovin Malta. “If it’s not, whoever is pranking me is doing a really good job!”

As expected, the question on whether the account actually meant the British actor was messaging her quickly came up. “I am a big fan, probably the greatest ever, but this is unreal,” Stephanie replied. “Prove it? Please?” The reply she got was short, simple and very fair, “What will I gain by lying to you?” 

Running some quick checks, Falzon traced the page the messages were sent on… and it turns out it’s the fully-fledged, verified profile. “There’s no way to access the profile from Facebook Messenger, and there’s no way of messaging the page from the homepage,” Falzon explained. “But all the messages do seem like they’re coming from it, and it’s a verified page. If it really is a prank, it’s a very well-orchestrated one!”

“I still don’t know what my initial comment was that he was talking about. It must’ve been something I commented on one of his posts, but I can’t find it,” Stephanie told Lovin Malta. “So this is one of the reasons why I’m not entirely sure if it’s the real thing or not. It’s still exciting whenever his name pops up on my phone!”

The conversation between the two went on, and it didn’t take long for Stephanie to invite the actor to our little island. “If you ever come to Malta (where I live) please let me show you around,” she said. “It’s beautiful. Small island, beautiful beaches, lots of history. And great food! Lots of places to go out and have fun,” to which Idris Elba (supposedly)  replied, “That must be a nice place.”

“I nearly fell off my bed when I found his initial replies and I still can’t get over it,” Stephanie told Lovin Malta. “I’m still cynical, but if it’s real, there’s only one word to describe this; finally!”

Stephanie’s friends uploaded a video over the weekend of the moment when the Maltese teacher heard back from Idris Elba’s account, and needless to say, Falzon looks properly taken aback. “My friends are loving it, and I’m still speechless!” she said.

Incidentally, Idris Elba was making the news elsewhere this weekend. While rumours ran wild of the 45-year-old actor going solo weeks after swearing he’d never get married again, he was actually spotted on the red carpet with a new girlfriend… Sabrine Dhowre, a 29-year-old actress and model who was crowned Miss Vancouver back in 2014. 

“The couple went public with their relationship on Friday night when they attended the premier party for his new film Molly’s Game at the Toronto International Film Festival,” British tabloid The Sun reported. And while a source said the two have been reportedly dating for around seven months, Friday’s decision to go public clashes too perfectly with Falzon’s inbox. In fact, Stephanie received another message on Saturday night… Idris casually starting the conversation with a, “How are you doing today?”

Is this all the confirmation we need to confirm it’s all a prank, or is there something else brewing underneath the surface? Only time will tell!

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David Grech Urpani

Lovin Malta's Head of Content, Dave has been in journalism for the better half of the last decade. Prefers Instagram, but has been known to doomscroll on TikTok. Loves chicken, women's clothes and Kanye West (most of the time).