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Michael Barrymore feels 'raw anger' over the public's unwillingness to accept him as an innocent man

Michael Barrymore at Wyndhams Theatre. (Photo by robbie jack/Corbis via Getty Images)
Piers Morgan has claimed that Michael Barrymore is angry about the difficulties he has faced while rebuilding his career (Robbie Jack/Corbis via Getty Images)

Michael Barrymore is still irritated about the fact that “people don’t want to accept he was an innocent man.”.

The entertainer and comedian recently sat down with presenter Piers Morgan as part of the latter’s ongoing series Life Stories, which sees celebrities bare all in a one-on-one interview.

Morgan claims Barrymore’s interview is the “most powerful show [they’ve] ever filmed” as he teased details ahead of its broadcast.

The Good Morning Britain host told the Daily Star: “[Michael] had everything and then lost it all.

Read more: Michael Barrymore makes a return to TV 16 years after being axed by ITV

“He lost his marriage and career, and nearly lost his livelihood, but ultimately was never convicted in relation to any of the events people know him for.

“He feels raw anger that he’s not been allowed to rebuild his career, because people don’t want to accept that he was an innocent man.”

Best known for fronting shows such as Strike It Lucky and My Kind of People, Barrymore was a popular television personality before he was arrested in June 2007 on suspicion of the rape and murder of Stuart Lubbock.

Lubbock, 31, was found in the star’s swimming pool in Roydon, Essex six years earlier. Barrymore was later released without charge and went on to accuse local police of taking wrongful action against him.

Around the time of his arrest, ITV severed its contract with the comedian and a new series of Kids Say the Funniest Things, which he had filmed before the incident, was pulled from network schedules.

Read more: Piers Morgan brands Meghan Markle a 'diva' following the release of her wedding pictures

After his one-man show in London closed after a few days, he moved to New Zealand with his partner Shaun Davis before taking part in Celebrity Big Brother in 2005.

Since then, he’s been featured on shows such as The Friday Night Project and Come Dine With Me. His last television appearance was on The Jeremy Kyle Show in 2014.

In 2017, a high court judge ruled that the arrest had been unlawful due to the fact that there wasn’t enough evidence to suspect Barrymore. More recently, his claim for compensation over £2.4 million of lost earnings was rejected.