Michael Barrymore says 'it's unfair' as he slams ITV for not supporting him
Michael Barrymore has taken aim at TV bosses who ditched him.
The former Strike It Lucky presenter, 71, was dropped by ITV following the death of Stuart Lubbock at the star's Essex home in 2001.
Michael, who has given his first interview in years, was never charged with any crime.
"It’s strange that companies don’t employ innocent people. Maybe you have to be guilty to get a job in TV, I don’t know. From my experience they don’t employ innocent people," the former Celebrity Big Brother star says.
"It’s unfair, of course. It’s terrible. You’re supposed to support people."
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Michael Barrymore was once one of the nation's favourite TV presenters (Fremantle Media/REX/Shutterstock)
But the star has been away from our screens for years now (WireImage)He continues to tell the Daily Star: "You’re supposed to support the people that work for you. You’re supposed to be caring."
Michael was one of the biggest names in light entertainment during the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, thanks to fronting and presenting some of Britain's most popular TV and game shows. The 71-year-old even headlined the Royal Variety Performance in 1993 and was frequently voted the UK's favourite television star throughout the peak of his popularity. However, Michael's career effectively ended after the death of Stuart Lubbock in 2001 following a party at the TV star's Essex home.
Recalling his career falling apart in a new interview, Michael says: "The amount of confidence you need to work the way I did at my peak was phenomenal and that took years to build up. When everything went my confidence was completely smashed. It has taken me 22 years to get that back.”
Michael - who is currently directing a West End play and receiving rave reviews - credits getting sober and recovering my alcohol addiction with helping him pursue his career passions.
The star received a standing ovation earlier this month for directing West End show Laurel and Chaplin - with Michael sharing a clip of the moment on his popular TikTok page. The former Celebrity Big Brother contestant has won a legion of young fans over recent years thanks to his decision to join social media platform TikTok - where he boasts over 1.7million followers.
But despite his popularity online and in the West End, Michael claims he hasn't been invited back on TV. "I haven't been asked to do any shows. I haven’t had a word from anyone. Nobody has been in touch because they don’t want to deal with all the crap," he says.
In 2006, Michael was paid £150,000 by Channel 4 to appear on Celebrity Big Brother in January that year. He finished in second place on 27 January, coming runner-up to non-celebrity entry Chantelle Houghton. One month on from leaving the Big Brother house, Michael was guest host on Channel 4's The Friday Night Project.
More recently, Michael appeared on Piers Morgan's Life Stories in 2019 and had been due to take part in the twelfth series of ITV's Dancing on Ice starting in January 2020, but withdrew from the competition in December 2019 because of a broken hand.
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