Dionne Warwick felt starstruck when she first met Sidney Poitier

During an appearance on 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert', Dionne

joked: "I stalked him!

"I was coming out of a recording studio on 54th Street, and the [music] group came around the corner. And in front of me was walking this regal, gorgeous man, and I broke rank. I left my girls and I started following him."

Asked if she sprinted after the legendary actor, Dionne explained: "I did. I actually stopped him. Right at the corner, right here, at the corner of 54th and Broadway, he stopped. And you know, there are no shops on Broadway between 54th and 53 Street, and I'm looking in the air, acting stupid."

Dionne was initially lost for words when she came face-to-face with the Oscar-winning star.

She recalled: "I actually bumped into him.

"He turned around and he says, 'Little girl. What do you want?' And of course, I went crazy. My mouth didn't work. And finally, I said, 'Can I have your autograph?' And from that day till the last time I saw him, which is a year or so ago, he did not greet me as, 'Hi, Dionne.' It was, 'Hello little girl, would you like my autograph?'"

Dionne previously recalled the incident in a tribute she wrote to the late actor on social media.

She wrote on Twitter: "He once caught me following him. He said "little girl what do you want" I muttered "can I have your autograph". From that day he always called me little girl and asked if I wanted his autograph.

It was something we laughed about. He was my hero & great friend. May he RIP [heart emoji] (sic)"