David Beckham, Dawn French named top idols

David Beckham and Dawn French have topped a poll to find the nation's most admired celebrities.

The survey of 4,000 people revealed that men would most prefer to swap lives with hunks such as Beckham and Brad Pitt. Women, on the other hand, most identify with career-driven mothers such as French, Kate Winslet and Davina McCall.

“It’s clear that we are becoming nation that is obsessed with imitating someone else’s identity and that our own identities are on the wane," said Owen Roberts of research firm CPP. "From a man’s perspective the results of this poll are actually quite embarrassing – it would seem that there is a lot of wishful thinking going on in the male UK population; if only we all looked like David Beckham.”

Top 10 celebs males most identify with
1. David Beckham
2. Brad Pitt
3. Johnny Depp
4. Sean Connery
5. Jude Law
6. Tom Cruise
7. George Clooney
8. Mel Gibson
9. Peter Kay
10. Johnny Vegas

Top 10 celebs females most identify with
1. Dawn French
2. Kate Winslet
3. Davina McCall
4. Madonna
5. Lorraine Kelly
6. Jennifer Aniston
7. Charlotte Church
8. Kate Moss
9. Cameron Diaz
10. Victoria Beckham