Paul O'Grady: Barry Manilow came out the 'right' way unlike Michael Barrymore

Incase you missed it, earlier this week Barry Manilow bravely revealed he is gay and has been in a relationship with his manager, Garry Kief, for 40 years.

The couple wed in secret in 2014 but TV favourite Paul O’Grady – aka Lily Savage – has revealed that he has known about Barry’s true sexuality for 20 years.

The ‘Copacabana’ hitmaker left it untill the age of 73 to come out yet Paul insists that to do so earlier would have destroyed his career in America.

“Unfortunately showbusiness is mostly based in the US and it panders to Middle America because they represent the majority. They’re all freaks – a bunch of religious fanatics, blinkered bigoted idiots. And it will never change there with that lot.

“They’ve got the president they deserve with Donald Trump and under him I think things are only going to get worse. Faced with that it’s no surprise Barry wrestled with coming out publicly,” the 61 year-old TV presenter mused in an interview with the Daily Mirror.

Paul and Barry met almost 20 years ago and back then, Barry was open about his sexuality to people in the industry.

“We first worked together on Noel’s House Party in 1998… We all knew he was gay, and he knew everybody knew he was gay. We’d talk as one gay man to another, you know, I’d say: ‘What are you up to when you get home?’ and he’d say ‘Oh, me and my partner, we’re going away to Miami, HE loves it!”

“I just didn’t make a big fuss about it, and neither did he. In private he’d never deny it – I think the truth is that nobody ever asked him publicly.”

Barry confirmed his 40-year relationship and marriage to Garry in an interview with People magazine earlier this week, sharing: “I’m so private. I always have been.

“I thought I would be disappointing them if they knew I was gay. So I never did anything.”

Other stars of Barry’s generation to reveal their sexuality are Sir Elton John, Sir Ian McKellen and Michael Barrymore.

However, Paul thinks that his old pal will have the support of the public, because he did “the right thing” unlike, he says, entertainer Michael Barrymore.

Michael famously came out of the closet in 1995, giving an impromptu “coming out” performance in a London pub which mortified his wife, Cheryl, and the gay community.

Paul explained: “When Barrymore threw his wedding ring across the pub and said: ‘I’m gay’ a lot of gay people turned against him. Not because of his sexuality but because of the way he was disrespecting his wife.

“So I think people are more accepting of gay people if they do the right thing, something which I think Barry Manilow has done this week.”

“And hopefully that will help combat some of the homophobia that still lingers everywhere. And like my sister says: “Good luck to him!’”

Needless to say, we are delighted that Barry has finally felt able to be open about his sexuality.

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