The role of a personal assistant has evolved over the years.

In the past, the position was simply referred to as a personal secretary, but today’s personal assistants may be called upon to perform a variety of tasks, such as those usually performed by a butler, concierge, babysitter, personal shopper, messenger, pet sitter, mother, lover, or therapist.

Personal assistants are no longer just found working for the rich and famous.

Thanks to virtual personal assistant services, anyone with the cash to spare can outsource tasks such as making appointments or online dating on a one-time or regular basis.

However, those virtual assistant gigs do not provide the same type of stories that arise when personal assistants work in close quarters with big personalities.

Drei Donnelly, President of the Association of Celebrity Personal Assistants, states that many personal assistants working for high-profile celebrities are required to sign non-disclosure agreements.

However, some past and present personal assistants have been willing to share their experiences working in this field.

Personal assistants are often required to perform unusual tasks. One assistant recalls being asked to keep a special healing mushroom alive by soaking it in goat’s milk and later reserving the mushroomy goat milk for her boss to drink.

Another assistant, Lynn Sudlow of Complete Errand, was once asked to bury a hamster that had died while its owners were on vacation in Europe.

Later, she had to exhume the hamster and store it in the freezer, where it remains to this day.

Missy Brown was hired to work for an Israeli artist and expected her tasks to include managing the studio, meeting with buyers, and working with museums.

However, her job also entailed accompanying her boss on shopping trips and bringing back to the loft office her hauls of $700 boots and custom-made Chanel dresses.

Missy’s boss called her constantly and would often ask for her address book or for a specific CD.

This was a common theme among disgruntled former personal assistants who have likened their work experience to an abusive relationship.

One of Missy’s responsibilities was to take care of a dying kumquat tree in her boss’s loft.

She kept prioritizing her boss’s business needs over the tree until she was scolded for not taking care of it.

When resurrection proved impossible, Missy hid the tree, ending that particular chapter in a troubled work relationship.

Leon Renyop, an assistant to a film and TV director, recalls being asked to find an ethnic baby to be photographed for a greeting card of questionable taste.

He couldn’t very well tell the infant casting agencies that the baby was needed for such a project.

These are just a few examples of the unusual tasks that personal assistants are asked to perform.