A YOUNG father caused a stir on social media when he was mistaken at a seaside cafe for Hollywood star Tom Hardy.

Johnny Watson had visited Surf Cafe in Tynemouth, North Tyneside, for a drink on Saturday when he was snapped by fellow customers who believed he was the actor.

The 30-year-old was told by a friend that the star had been in the same cafe as him earlier that day.

Mr Watson then discovered it was in fact his picture and not Tom Hardy that was being shared by users on Twitter.

The father-of-one, from North Shields, North Tyneside, said: “I had no idea someone was taking my picture. When I saw it on social media I thought ‘Oh God, that was me’.

“I was gutted Tom Hardy hadn’t actually been there. It’s just weird, nothing has happened to me like this before.”

He added: “I can’t believe the reaction I got, it’s surreal. It was a strange day.

“Now people are calling me Tom Hardy and are rolling the red carpet out for me, taking the mick.”

Hardy’s wife actress Charlotte Riley was born in Grindon, near Stockton, and has been spotted in the region before.

Mr Watson was taking a walk from North Shields to Whitley Bay while his fiance Kirsty Gilboy, 22, was out shopping.

He stopped off at the Surf Cafe for ten minutes for half a pint and a chat with the owner.

He said: “I got a text off my friend saying Tom Hardy is at the Surf Cafe in Tynemouth. I thought no way, I have just missed him, that’s just my luck.

“I went home and went to bed. When I woke up my phone was going crazy I saw a picture of me on Twitter and thought, ‘Don’t let it be me’.

Mr Watson, who is father to 11 month old Evie, said he has been compared to Tom Hardy in the past as well as wrestler Daniel Bryan, singer James Morrison and footballer Craig Bellamy.

His fiance said she “couldn’t stop laughing” when she found out Mr Watson had been mistaken for Tom Hardy.

The full-time mother said: “We joked about it being him because people have said he looks like him but I never thought in a million years it would be him.

“I have read a lot of comments saying I’m very lucky. I do feel that way. It’s definitely a compliment. I’m a fan of Tom Hardy, who isn’t?”