News of Michael Barrymore’s new book, 25 years after the body of 31-year-old Stuart Lubbock was found in the swimming pool of his Essex mansion, has prompted demands from his family
Former TV star Michael Barrymore is making a showbusiness comeback with an explosive new memoir – 25 years after the body of 31-year-old Stuart Lubbock was found in the swimming pool of his Essex mansion. The ex-Strike it Lucky host has spent the past two years writing a fresh autobiography, revealing his side of the story and how he has carved out a new life as a social media star.
But the news has prompted demands from the Lubbock family that the book must ‘tell the truth’. “We live in hope that the book provides fresh insight into what happened that night,” said Harry Cichy, spokesman for Stuart’s brother Kevin. “We don’t want to hear the same narrative. Stuart didn’t drown. Michael Barrymore is key to finding out what happened. It’s time to break the wall of silence.”
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It is understood Barrymore, now 73, has been writing his book in solitude on the Cornish coast, where he has put pen to paper to tell his side of the story about the tragedy, which ended his 16-year career with ITV. He also says he is in the process of quitting the UK for a new life abroad, despite having a new army of fans on social media.
He currently boasts four million followers on TikTok and has recently been given a YouTube award for gaining more than 100,000 followers, who subscribe to his popular vlog. This documents his travels and his daily adventures with his one-year-old whippet called Lara.
The new memoir will tell how Barrymore has found comfort in his social media popularity, entertaining a new generation of fans, who grew up watching him on TV shows including My Kind of People and Kids Do The Funniest Things. It was via his YouTube channel that he revealed he is looking to leave the UK after exchanging contracts on a new house, thought to be in Spain.
He revealed: “The truth is I have been busy packing to go away. I actually just exchanged on my house, so I am very excited about that. I am all over the place as I have not moved that many times in my life. I am not great at moving but I am so excited. I am not going to tell you exactly where it is as I want a bit of privacy. Moving away, people say ‘won’t you miss London?’ Well you know I am only a few hours away and there will be a whole new load of stuff to shoot and a whole new load of different aspects to show a different side of life.”
Barrymore is understood to have acquired a new home in Spain, after falling in love with the culture and arts scene in and around Barcelona and Girona. He added: “I realise that quality of life is more important to me than anything. It is not the Spain I grew up with, with all the package resorts. This is mainland Spain. It is amazing, the culture there and the people. the art and everything.”
The memoir – a follow up to his 2007 autobiography Awight Now: Setting The Record Straight – adds yet another chapter to the chequered story of Michael Barrymore, once one of the highest-paid names on television. From humble beginnings as a Butlin’s Redcoat, he rose to be king of British Saturday night television, before his career crashed as a result of the death of meat factory worker Stuart Lubbock following a party at the star’s home.
Barrymore, together with others, was subsequently arrested on suspicion of murder but was never charged. To date, nobody has been charged with any offence in relation to the death, and Barrymore has always maintained he is ‘100 per cent innocent’. The case remains open with Essex Police vowing in the past ‘never to stop’ searching for answers.
Born Michael Ciaran Parker, Barrymore won New Faces in 1979 and began working as a warm up act for both Larry Grayson and Little and Large. He hit television screens, thanks to appearances on Blankety Blank and built a reputation as a quick-witted host. He landed his own spot, The Michael Barrymore Show, in 1983 before going on to front Strike It Lucky, My Kind of People and, by 1991, his own light entertainment show, Barrymore. He also helmed the popular My Kind of Music and Kids Say the Funniest Things.
He once said: “The truth is of course I love it, I wasn’t born to do anything else. I just did it at school. I was just just making my mates laugh and after that I just loved doing it, to get paid for it and it became my living.” He married West End theatre dancer Cheryl Cocklin in 1976 and she became his manager, masterminding his rise to stardom. They divorced in 1997, two years after he publicly announced he was gay. Over the years, Barrymore has also battled alcohol and drug addiction, and received treatment in rehab.
But it was the events of the night of March 31 2001 and subsequent police investigation which followed, which put paid to his time in the spotlight. Barrymore was 67 when Stuart Lubbock, 31, was found dead in his swimming pool after a party where drugs and alcohol were consumed. A post-mortem examination revealed he had suffered serious anal injuries. In 2002, an open verdict was recorded at his inquest.
In a 2019 interview on Piers Morgan’s Life Stories Barrymore explained why he fled the scene after the tragic incident, over fears his home would be “surrounded” by press. He also apologised for the first time over the circumstances surrounding the death and claimed he remains ‘100% innocent’.
He told Morgan: “I had nothing to do with Stuart. I am innocent. I am not 99.9% innocent. I am 100% innocent and I am entitled to walk around with my head held high for the rest of my life. I didn’t facilitate him taking drugs. I was advised [to stay silent] by lawyers at the time. You don’t have to answer in a coroner’s court.
“I can see lots of things in hindsight. I’m not making excuses. I f***ed up. I f***ed up. What more do you want? I’m sorry. I couldn’t be more sorry. I have to live in hope that somehow, somewhere, there will be an answer. I just hope it will be within what is left of my life.”
A spokesman for Barrymore declined to comment on the new book and added that updates would be provided through their client’s social media channels. A spokesman for Keith Bishop PR said: “Given he uses social media daily as a platform he mostly prefers his content to speak for itself and to interact with followers directly.”
Stuart Lubbock’s father Terry campaigned tirelessly to get to the truth of what happened the night his son died, before himself dying of cancer in 2021. According to Harry Cichy, Terry would welcome the fresh scrutiny the book might bring. He said: “This keeps the story alive. It doesn’t matter where in the world Michael Barrymore lives, there are still unanswered questions.”
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