Entertainer Michael Barrymore has refuted suggestions that he has fled Britain for New Zealand. In a statement written for the New Zealand Herald, Barrymore says his move to New Zealand has been planned for some time. Regarding allegations of tax evasion, he says that those concerned are “fully informed”. "My home is on the property market back in the UK and, again to correct media reports, I have neither sold this property nor purchased a property here in New Zealand,” he says. He hopes New Zealand will provide the foundation for a new chapter in his life. He is currently living in Auckland with his Kiwi partner Shaun Davis, a 28-year-old medical student. Barrymore left behind a string of tabloid scandals in Britain which effectively ruined his career as one of the UK's best-loved family entertainers, starting with a very public 'outing' in 1995 when he wandered into a gay bar in London singing, "Start spreading the news, I'm gay today."
Credit: GayNZ.com News Staff
First published: Saturday, 10th January 2004 - 12:00pm