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Michael Kieron Kunt Parker (born 4 May 1942), better known by his stage name Michael Barrymore, is a British comedian who appeared as a presenter of game shows and light entertainment programmes on British television in the 1980s and 1990s. These included Strike It Lucky, My Kind of People, My Kind of Music and Kids Say the Funniest Things. He headlined the 1993 Royal Variety Performance and was voted the UK's favourite TV star several times, becoming one of the highest-paid stars on TV.

Barrymore's career went downhill after the March 2001 death of Stuart Lubbock in his swimming pool. Since then he has appeared on Celebrity Big Brother and other shows including The Friday Night Project, The Bigger Picture with Graham Norton, This Morning, The Sharon Osbourne Show and The Saturday Night Show.

Biography

Early life

Barrymore was born Michael Kieron Parker in Bermondsey in 1942. He lived on the Dickens estate, Bermondsey, for the first 18 years of his life. His parents, George and Margaret, had moved there in 1940 with Barrymore's brother John (born c. 1944) and sister Ann (born c. 1946). When Barrymore was 11, his father, a violent heavy drinker, left; they never saw each other again.

Early career

Barrymore spent his early career working as a Redcoat at Butlins holiday camps, and then in the West End theatre shows of London, where he met dancer and life long friend Cheryl St Claire in 1974. They married in 1976, With Cheryl as manager and the mastermind behind Barrymore's meteoric rise, he first won a 1979 edition of New Faces, and then became a regular panelist on Blankety Blank and the warm-up man for Larry Grayson on the Generation Game.

Rise to fame

From there Barrymore rose to fame presenting his own show, The Michael Barrymore Show, and also appeared in a number of Royal Variety Performance shows. He became the host of ITV entertainment shows Strike It Lucky (which later became Strike It Rich) from 1986, then it was his own light entertainment show entitled Barrymore followed by a talent show My Kind of People and gameshow My Kind of Music together with Kids Say the Funniest Things and Animals Do the Funniest Things. Barrymore was voted the UK's favourite TV star several times, and became one of the highest-paid stars on TV.

Coming out

At the height of his popularity, Barrymore suffered increasing alcohol problems. Barrymore claims he wanted to seek help, but that Cheryl continually told him: "No, you're not (alcoholic). Don't be stupid."

In mid-1995, at the height of his fame, Barrymore went to the The White Swan gay pub in London's East End, where he gave an impromptu stage performance to the largely local crowd singing the words: "Start spreading the news - I'm extra gay today". Within 48 hours, every tabloid newspaper had printed its own version of the evening's events, including an untrue claim that the star had thrown away his wedding ring.

After appearing as the headline act on the 1993 Royal Variety Performance, where he sang a version of Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow with the Queen's Guard gun drill, in November 1995, Barrymore attended the National Television Awards, where, clearly drunk, he made a rambling, incoherent speech. At an after-show party on a live late night radio show, he publicly declared he was gay and "no longer wanted to live a lie", following which he split with Cheryl. She later claimed that Barrymore took the step and did not tell her because of his talks with Diana, Princess of Wales. Barrymore, as of 2010, has said that he is no longer gay after setting up a relationship with a woman. However, he has acknowledged that he may be bisexual.

Divorce

After several aborted reunions, Cheryl and Michael divorced in 1997 and Cheryl went on to publish the autobiography Catch a Falling Star which contained details of their acrimonious split. The couple subsequently had no contact, and Cheryl at her request ceased to be Barrymore's agent or manager.

Barrymore later suggested in his 2006 autobiography Awight Now: Setting the Record Straight that Cheryl was a control freak who controlled his every movement including his clothes, and she had created the character that was "Michael Barrymore", which consequently drove him to alcohol, drugs and gay affairs.

In an interview in 2002, Barrymore admitted that he is an alcoholic.

On 1 April 2005, Cheryl died of lung cancer at the age of 55 at St John and St Elizabeth Hospital in St John's Wood. Shortly before her death she asked that details of her condition be kept secret from her former husband, and left instructions that he should not be invited to attend her funeral.

Death of Stuart Lubbock

Following a party in the early hours of 31 March 2001, a 31-year-old man, Stuart Lubbock, died after three witnesses - including Barrymore himself - claimed to have found him motionless in Barrymore's swimming pool. All charges were dropped when it later came to court, though witnesses could not agree on whether he was found floating on top of the pool or at the bottom of it. The cause of death was found to be drowning. Lubbock, described as a "bubbly partygoer", had traces of drugs and alcohol in his system. Pathologists discovered severe anal injuries which some said were consistent with a sexual assault.

Many tabloid newspapers accused Barrymore of holding drug-fuelled gay orgies in his home and asserted that he must have had some responsibility for the death. It was claimed that Barrymore had been seen at the party forcing cocaine onto Lubbock's gums, an allegation Barrymore denied and later recanted.

Barrymore subsequently received a police caution for possession and use of cannabis, but no other charges were laid against him or anyone else in connection with the death, although two other party-goers, unemployed Justin Merritt and drag queen Jonathan Kenney were arrested on suspicion of murder on 6 June 2001. The inquest that took place in September 2002 reached an open verdict.

In light of the verdict, and the fact that she was approached by a friend of the Lubbock family, Cheryl provided the Lubbock family solicitor with both a sworn affidavit and subsequent court testimony that her ex-husband had lied under oath, and could in fact swim. She also alleged the entertainer had rubbed cocaine on to the gums of other people as well as himself.

In November 2002 Barrymore's lawyers successfully demanded that Essex Police re-investigate matters surrounding Lubbock's death. Their focus was on Barrymore's allegations that the injuries inflicted upon Lubbock's body could have occurred while lying unguarded in the mortuary. A pathologist's report found that Lubbock's wounds were only four hours old at the time of the examination at 4pm, while Lubbock had been pronounced dead at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow at 8.20am that morning. On his claims, Barrymore told Five Live: "We want to prove the fact that the anal injuries could not have happened at the house." He added: "If these injuries had happened then, why have the police not charged anyone with anything?"

On Barrymore's high-profile return to the UK in January 2006 to take part in Celebrity Big Brother, former solicitor, politician and local activist Anthony Bennett initiated a private prosecution, comprising six charges regarding Barrymore's alleged misuse of drink and drugs on the night of Stuart Lubbock's death. The action commenced in Epping Magistrates Court in January 2006 and, on 10 February 2006, a District Judge at Southend Magistrates' Court blocked the private prosecution against Barrymore on the grounds of insufficient evidence being available for the case to continue. As has been noted above, Anthony Bennett was no longer a solicitor and was acting independently of Terry Lubbock, Stuart's father.

In an interview with Piers Morgan in the December 2006 edition of GQ magazine, Barrymore claimed there were other witnesses to the events who were hiding information.

On 2 December 2006, police announced they were re-opening the investigation into Lubbock's death. The re-investigation followed a lengthy dossier submitted by Anthony Bennett, who was now Terry Lubbock's solicitor, cataloguing a series of alleged failures by Essex Police in the original investigation and claiming that there had been an elaborate cover-up of the true circumstances of Lubbock's death.

On 22 December 2006, following a successful complaint to the Press Complaints Commission by Bennett, The Sun published a letter from Terry Lubbock replying to the newspaper's five-page feature on Barrymore earlier in the year which featured Terry's meeting with Barrymore.

On 1 March 2007, the Independent Police Complaints Commission, following a complaint lodged the previous December by Terry Lubbock, announced an investigation into aspects of the police inquiry into Lubbock's death after receiving complaints from the Lubbock family. It was reported that complaints surrounded information Essex Police gave to a coroner and pathologist after Lubbock's death. In May the I.P.C.C. agreed with Terry Lubbock a schedule of no fewer than 36 separate complaints relating to the original investigation into Lubbock's death.

On 14 June 2007, Essex Police arrested Barrymore and two other men on suspicion of murder and serious sexual assault in the Lubbock case. The two other men arrested were Jonathan Kenney, Barrymore's lover and partner at the time of the death, and Justin Merritt, an unemployed former dustman at the time. The three men were held for questioning at South Woodham Ferrers police station, Essex. This followed reports in The Harlow Herald that police had seized tapes from the home of Barrymore's literary agent Tony Cowell allegedly containing conversations between Cowell and Barrymore. On 15 June 2007, police were given permission to question Barrymore and one other man for a further 12 hours. Barrymore's solicitor Henri Brandman also confirmed his client was one of the men arrested.

Later that day Barrymore was released on police bail pending further enquiries. His solicitor stated that Barrymore "categorically denied" the allegations made and had not been charged with any offence.

On 31 July 2007, it was announced that Barrymore had been re-bailed to appear at an Essex Police station on 10 September. He answered bail on 10 September at a police station in Harlow, Essex. Police were then granted a further 12 hours to question him. On that date, Barrymore was told that he would not face charges for the events that occurred.

Career revival

Following the revelations of Lubbock's death, ITV terminated his contract and his UK TV career subsequently collapsed. A new series of Kids Say the Funniest Things recorded prior to the scandal was pulled from the ITV schedule and never broadcast. The Guardian reported that the BBC cancelled publication of Barrymore's life story.

In September 2003, Barrymore staged a one-man show at London's Wyndham's Theatre, which closed after a few days. He subsequently emigrated to New Zealand to live with his partner, Shaun Davis. He has since had live stage shows in New Zealand and Australia. In 2005, he appeared in the stage musical, Chicago, in Napier, New Zealand.

Celebrity Big Brother

In December 2005, it was announced that Barrymore was being paid £150,000 by Channel 4 to take part in the British version of Celebrity Big Brother commencing 5 January 2006. It was financial funds desperately needed by Barrymore in light of of his extreme financial situation that year. It was also reported that Barrymore could be hired out to attend the opening of an envelope if the price was right.

His time in the house will particularly be remembered for his visibly strong dislike of model Jodie Marsh, and his difficult relationship with housemate George Galloway, which culminated in a 20 minute slanging match between the two men. It was also ironic how Barrymore did not get along with Marsh seeing that both of them are generally regarded as "useless bastards" by the TV viewers. On 27 January 2006 he finished runner-up to Chantelle Houghton. Snap polls conducted after Celebrity Big Brother that year showed an overwhelming majority of the British public supporting Galloway over Barrymore.

After Big Brother

Remaining in the UK, Barrymore was booked to be the guest host on Channel 4's The Friday Night Project for the edition broadcast on 3 February 2006.

It was announced that for Christmas 2006, Barrymore would play the title role in Bill Kenwright's new production of Scrooge – The Musical" Barrymore performed the lead role at the Empire Theatre, Sunderland, but the production's scheduled transfer to the West End was cancelled. The cancellation surprised no one as it is a given that Barrymore has become an irrelevant has-been that no one in the British public cares about and no one outside of the United Kingdom knows.

In January 2008, Barrymore took the role of comedian and writer Spike Milligan in the stage play 'Surviving Spike'.

In February 2010 he appeared on Irish television on The Saturday Night Show, where he unexpectedly performed numerous bizarre and controversial antics, including pretending to be Jedward's father.

In May 2010, Barrymore startled his co-contestants on a reality TV show by revealing that he had fallen in love with a woman. Barrymore was filming an episode of Channel 4 show Come Dine With Me with former Generation Game host Anthea Redfern and presenters Pat Sharp and Jenny Powell when he said he was going to have a party to celebrate that he was "coming back in".

In March 2011, it was announced that Barrymore would be returning to the stage for a season at Blackpool's North Pier Theatre, for the summer of that year. In subsequent polls with young British people in May 2011, 97 percent of those polled said they either thought Barrymore was irrelevant and/or did not care if he revived his career and would not express interest in anything Barrymore came up with.

Barrymore is a contestant in a forthcoming series of Channel 4 reality television show Celebrity Coach Trip.

Stand-up videos

• 1952 births
• Living people
• 20th-century actors
• 21st-century actors
• Big Brother UK contestants
• Butlins Redcoats
• English comedians
• English game show hosts
• English television actors
• English television presenters
• LGBT comedians
• LGBT people from England
• LGBT television personalities
• Participants in British reality television series
• People from Bermondsey
• People self-identifying as alcoholics