Did Bruce Willis have an awesome adventure in Cairns?
Despite the excitement of locals, a story circulating on the web about Bruce Willis hanging out with good Samaritans and eating burgers in Cairns is fake.
With apologies in advance to all die hard Bruce Willis fans: the news circulating on the internet about the action movie star's incredible visit to Cairns is fake.
An entertainment website based in the United States has got Cairns residents in a clicking frenzy with a report that Willis "wants to retire" in our city after he apparently had a holiday here recently.
The website claimed friendly local motorists had come to Willis' aid after his rental car broke down while "leaving the city limits of Cairns".
The Good Samaritans then apparently arranged for a tow truck - owned by the brother of one of the helpers - before convincing Willis to go for a burger in the Cairns CBD.
In what may be one of the greatest celebrity endorsements a Cairns business has ever seen, the website claimed Willis went to Jimmy's Burgers on Shields St, which he described as a "great freakin’ burger".
Willis reportedly went on to say:
"I’m telling you, these people in Cairns are the real deal. I’m gonna move there after I retire.
"You have to understand, this is something that would’ve never happened in LA! So yeah, that’s my story about Cairns, Australia. It’s nice to know there are still places like this in the world."
There are few things not quite right about the story however, featured on a website called "News Daily 12".
TropicNow spoke to Jimmy's Burgers earlier today, with the manager confirming there was no recollection by staff of his visit, not even a selfie or sighting.
Most tellingly, the website featuring the story comes with a very clear disclaimer:
"Newsdaily12com is an entertainment website composed mostly of articles containing satire. None of the articles on newsdaily12.com should be considered true and are simply works of satire meant for entertainment purposes.
"To be clear for those who lack any ability to recognize satire: The articles on newsdaily12.com are not real. They’re meant to be humorous and they’re for your entertainment. It’s satire."
At the very least, the news hoax has provided priceless publicity for both Cairns and Jimmy's Burgers, who plan to send one of their branded caps to the movie star's agent.
