Comedy legend Barry Humphries congratulated Dermot O’Leary for coming out after jokingly mistaking him for Phillip Schofield on This Morning.
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The Australian actor, best known for playing his alter ego Dame Edna Everage, had presenters Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary roaring with laughter after praising the latter for being open about his sexuality last year.
WATCH: Barry Humphries jokingly congratulates Dermot O'Leary for coming out
After telling Dermot that his memories from over the years have helped to inspire his new theatre show, Barry said: "I have a very good memory, and incidentally, I want to congratulate you by the way, seriously, on your courage. Last year, when he came out and told us about his sexuality."
The performer playfully mistook Dermot for regular This Morning host Phillip Schofield, who came out as gay in an emotional interview on the show last year.
Barry's comment led to an outburst of laughter from both Alison and Dermot. The comedian continued: "No, no because I think a lot of people respected you for that," to which Dermot replied: "Thank you, I’ll pass that on to the gentleman who’s here Monday to Thursday."
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Looking around the This Morning set with a confused look on his face, Barry said, "What?" Dermot replied, "Thank you for your kind comments," to which Barry responded: "No, your bravery was admired."
Barry is best known for playing Dame Edna
Barry was on the show to promote his new show Barry Humphries: The Man Behind the Mask, which will tour theatres across the UK, including London’s West End, next year.
While on the ITV morning show, Barry admitted that he suffers from stage fright. He explained: "Sometimes I’m standing there, about to go on stage and I really do worry about it."
"I just have to step into the spotlight and I hear the first little titter, perhaps it’s the last," he said jokingly, before continuing: "And then I relax and I can be what I want to be, a real caring person. That’s a hard thing to pretend to be."
Barry’s tour starts in 2022, running from April 7 in Nottingham and ending on June 5 in London’s West End.
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