50 Facts About Michael Barrymore

At his peak, Michael Barrymore was voted the UK's favourite television star several times, and became one of the highest-paid stars on television from the mid-1980s to the late-1990s.

Michael Barrymore starred in Bob Martin from 2000 to 2001, a comedy drama in which he played the title role of a failing television game-show host.

Michael Barrymore was the subject of police investigations and legal action around the case over several years.

Michael Barrymore's father left when Barrymore was 11 and they never saw each other again.

Michael 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 lifelong friend Cheryl St Claire in 1974.

Michael Barrymore appeared in a number of Royal Variety Performance shows, his first being in 1983.

Michael Barrymore became the host of ITV gameshow Strike It Lucky in 1986 and it grew in popularity over the years and this was watched by 18 million viewers at its peak.

In 1991, Michael Barrymore was given his own show entitled Michael Barrymore where he interviewed guests, performed his comedy routines and joined in with other performers on the show.

Michael Barrymore went into rehab due to his alcohol and drug addiction in 1994.

Michael Barrymore left after a couple of months and went on to write a best-selling book about his experiences, including rehab, and he went on a stage tour called Back in Business in 1994.

Michael Barrymore then regained his former status and made another series of Barrymore and recorded a new series called My Kind of People.

Michael Barrymore came out as gay on 19 August 1995 and split from his wife in 1996.

Michael Barrymore made a new series of Strike It Lucky, now called Strike It Rich and another Barrymore series.

Michael Barrymore went on to new projects with Kids Say the Funniest Things, Animals Do the Funniest Things and Barrymore on Broadway.

Michael Barrymore was voted the UK's favourite TV star several times, and became one of the highest-paid stars on TV.

Michael Barrymore won the National Television Award for Most Popular Entertainment Presenter five out of the first six years, last at the 6th NTAs in 2000.

Michael Barrymore recorded two new series called My Kind of Music and Kids Say the Funniest Things in 1998 along with more Strike It Rich.

Newer editions of all three series were shown and another series of Michael Barrymore was recorded and shown in 2000.

The year 2000 saw Michael Barrymore move into acting in Bob Martin where he played the character of Bob Martin; he recorded two series of the comedy.

Michael Barrymore presented a second series of Kids Say the Funniest Things which aired in late 2000 and a fourth series of My Kind of Music which was on the air at the time that Stuart Lubbock died in Michael Barrymore's pool on 31 March 2001.

In October 2001, Michael Barrymore was given a drugs caution and began recording a new series of My Kind of Music.

Many tabloid newspapers accused Michael Barrymore of holding drug-fuelled gay orgies in his home and asserted he had some responsibility for the death.

Kylie Merritt, a partygoer, had claimed that Michael Barrymore had been seen at the party rubbing cocaine onto Lubbock's gums, an allegation Michael Barrymore denied.

Michael Barrymore received a police caution for possession and use of cannabis.

In light of the verdict, Cheryl Michael Barrymore was approached by a friend of the Lubbock family.

Michael Barrymore provided the family's solicitor with both an affidavit and subsequent court testimony that her ex-husband had lied under oath, and could in fact swim; she alleged he had rubbed cocaine onto the gums of other people as well as his own.

Later that day Michael Barrymore was released on police bail pending further enquiries.

Michael Barrymore's 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 Michael Barrymore had been re-bailed to appear at an Essex Police station on 10 September.

In July 2015, Michael Barrymore began the process of suing Essex Police over his arrest.

In October 2016, it was reported that High Court papers showed police had admitted that Michael Barrymore was wrongfully arrested and detained.

On 18 August 2017, the High Court in London ruled that Michael Barrymore would be entitled to "more than nominal" damages against Essex Police after being wrongly arrested 10 years previously.

Essex Police released a statement on 1 July 2019 to announce that the claim for damages had been dropped, and that no payment had been made to Michael Barrymore, following an appeal; the Court of Appeals judges determined instead that Michael Barrymore was entitled only to 'nominal' damages.

In September 2003, Michael Barrymore staged a one-man show at London's Wyndham's Theatre, which closed after a few days.

Michael Barrymore subsequently immigrated to New Zealand to live with his partner, Shaun Davis.

Michael Barrymore has since had live stage shows in New Zealand and Australia.

Michael Barrymore had a difficult relationship with housemate George Galloway, which culminated in a 20-minute heated argument between the two men.

Michael Barrymore performed the lead role at the Empire Theatre, Sunderland, but the production's scheduled transfer to the West End was cancelled.

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

In May 2010, Michael Barrymore startled his co-contestants on a reality TV show by revealing that he had fallen in love with a woman.

Michael 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 2013, Michael Barrymore appeared on RTE show The Saturday Night Show for the second time, his first appearance was in February 2010, on this show he talked about his harsh treatment by the press, his addiction and the possibility of a new show called My Kind of Twits.

In March 2019 Michael Barrymore appeared on Piers Morgan's Life Stories.

In September 2019, it was announced that Michael Barrymore would take part in the twelfth series of ITV's Dancing on Ice starting in January 2020.

Michael Barrymore met his former wife Cheryl Cocklin in 1974 while she was a dancer in a West End theatre show.

Cocklin became his manager and was the mastermind behind Michael Barrymore's rise to fame.

Michael Barrymore later said that Barrymore had problems with alcohol and depression, and as a result of his attack on her at the Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles, she was placed by British police on the "at risk" register.

At the height of his popularity, Michael Barrymore suffered increasing alcohol problems.

In mid-1995, at the height of his fame, Michael Barrymore went to 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 gay today".

Michael Barrymore later claimed Barrymore took the step and did not tell her because of his talks with Diana, Princess of Wales.