Michael Barrymore's career could well be on the skids as the £2 million-a-year British TV entertainer faces further questioning over the death of a man at his Essex home in March.
The flamboyant comedian, whose private life has, in recent years, begun to overshadow his huge popularity and talent, is likely to lose at least one of his TV programmes. Bosses at London Weekend Television reportedly feel that Michael, 49, is not the ideal person to front the prime-time show Kids Say The Funniest Things. A new series has already been filmed but has yet to be shown – and there is no guarantee that it will now be aired.
Since Michael left his wife of 20 years, Cheryl, in 1995, after announcing that he was gay, his brilliant career has been punctuated by incidents of extreme behaviour off-camera.
Michael has now reportedly told friends that he thinks he is "finished", and that his life will always be affected by the death of father-of-two Stuart Lubbock, who was found drowned in the comedian’s swimming pool. A police toxicology report is expected to show that Lubbock, 31, took drugs shortly before his death.
Michael’s role in Bob Martin, the comedy drama series, is also at risk. Its audience has fallen from 6.8 million to 1.4 million and a source said: “The public’s perception of him is at an all-time low. His contract is up next year and the feeling is that it will not be renewed. He clearly has a serious drug and alcohol problem. It’s tragic because Michael is a huge talent but his personal life has got the better of him.”
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
