Cats might have been the mammal of inspiration at the Met Gala on Monday night but, let’s face it, we all know who the real star was at the star-studded occasion – the humble carpet cockroach, of course.

Nabbing a ticket for the annual fundraising benefit for the Metropolitan Museum of Art has become one of the hardest ‘gets’ in fashion history in recent years. But one lucky little insect pushed its luck last night, and managed to scurry its way into the security-covered occasion, attended by the likes of humans Billie Eilish, Michaela Coel and Florence Pugh.

Shimmying its way between the feet of photographers, A-listers and press, the cockroach arrived before Rihanna and A$AP Rocky took to the red carpet, making sure to scale several flights of stairs and avoiding meeting its demise under a pair of brand new Manolos.

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Getty Images photographer Kevin Mazur spotted the critter, and snapped several photos of its Met Gala debut, with the insect becoming the unlikely star of the night.

However, Variety later reported that the roach had met its untimely death before entering the party – such is the price of fame.

The roach’s Met moment comes weeks after New York appointed a 'rat czar' to help fight the city's ongoing rodent problem. Sky News recently reported that there have been almost 3.2 million rat sightings reported to the city's 311 service request line, ‘just short of the highest number recorded in 2021’.

Move over rats, because there’s a new animal in town that’s got its sights set beyond the streets. First the Met, then… world domination? We surely hope not.

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Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.