Michael Barrymore has revealed he is leaving the UK to “change his life for the better” at the age of 72.
The former TV host and comedian was one of Britain’s top presenters in the Eighties and Nineties with a string of hit shows on primetime telly like Strike It Lucky, My Kind of People and Kids Say The Funniest Things. He also hosted his own variety show, simply titled Barrymore.
But his decades-long career came to an abrupt halt in 2001 following the death of 31-year-old Stuart Lubbock, who was found unresponsive in Michael’s swimming pool at his home in Essex following a party and later died. Though Michael was never charged and there is no suggestion of wrongdoing on his part, the case remains high profile and has never been solved.
Fast forward 23 years and Michael is no longer on the telly despite several attempts at career comebacks, but he has managed to gain quite the following on social media – particularly on TikTok, where his funny videos have earned him 113 million likes and 2.7 million followers. Not bad for a pensioner!
Sharing his latest news as he held up a Barcelona football scarf, Michael told fans: “Yes, I am moving to Barcelona. I’m 72 now and I realise that quality of life is more important to me than anything. So, I’m going to Spain.” As various clips of him walking on the beach and around Barcelona were spliced into the video, Michael continued in the voiceover and said: “I love the place, it’s not the Spain that I grew up with, all the package resorts that we all know. This is mainland Spain. It’s amazing. The culture there and the people and just the art and everything.”
And it looks like he could relocate quite soon as he revealed he was already looking for his “dream villa” around the areas of Girona and Catalonia. But despite having flown out a few times to do house viewings since March, he is still to find ‘The One’.
He added: “Once I decide which villa I like, probably around Lloret de Mar, I really like it there. Of course I’m going to take Dave with me [his dog] and of course, I’m going to take you guys with me. So don’t worry, I’m going to vlog everything and you’re going to join me all the way through this entire story.” Michael ended the post by saying: “Until I find the villa of my dreams I’m going to find as much as I can about it, download Duolingo, learn the language. I can’t wait.”
Michael’s move comes more than two decades after Mr Lubbock, a butcher from Harlow, died after a party at his home in March 2001. A post-mortem found he had suffered “horrific” injuries prior to his death and there was evidence of serious sexual assault. Alcohol, ecstasy and cocaine were also found in his body.
Police initially believed he had drowned but further examinations found there was “no unequivocal evidence” that this was the case.No one has ever been charged despite several arrests and some witnesses in the case have now died.
At the end of last year Essex Police put out another appeal for information as a new documentary called The Rise and Fall of Mr Saturday Night aired on Channel 5. Michael has always denied any involvement in the death. Mr Lubbock’s father Terry campaigned tirelessly for justice for his son, but he died in 2021 aged 76 without finding answers.
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