British funnyman James Corden was left heartbroken after falling for singer Lily Allen, only to realise his feelings were unrequited.
The History Boys actor began a high-profile friendship with the Smile hitmaker after they met at a film premiere six years ago.
Corden admits he was immediately infatuated with Allen after appearing on her TV chat show and made it his mission to date the pop star - but he was disappointed when he realised she didn't feel the same.
In an excerpt from his new autobiography, May I Have Your Attention, Please?, chronicled in Britain's The Sun, the comedian writes, "I made it my aim to make Lily mine. I guess I went out with Lily four or five times in total after that - and not once was it a proper date. It always seemed to involve other people and not just the two of us.
"I guess we were friends but, for my part, I definitely wanted more than that. The last time I went to her place was when the reality dawned on me. It was Lily, me and a couple of her friends chatting and drinking. Eventually, Lily let out a yawn, looked at me and said, 'I'm going to bed now, what about you?'
"My heart stopped. This was it. After all this time, all the false dawns. So she walked up the stairs with me padding behind, my mouth dry, my stomach churning, my hands sweating - I was all kinds of sexy. At the landing there was a bedroom on our right and Lily pushed open the door. My heart was pounding. Lily looked deep into my eyes. 'You can sleep in there,' she said, pointing to the room opposite, then pecked me on the cheek. 'Night, night.'"
But Corden is relieved it didn't work out with Allen.
He adds, "Never have I felt such a d**chebag. Who was I trying to kid? I remember lying in bed and realising how badly I'd misread the signs. There was no me and Lily, it was all in my mind.
"I'm glad that's all it was. I like Lily very much and know if push came to shove that night, I'd have been awful in bed. I would've been so nervous that nothing - and I do mean nothing - would've happened. So I want to thank Lily for sparing a lovesick fool that kind of embarrassment."