Cheryl Barrymore

Cheryl Barrymore (born Cheryl Carlisa Cocklin in 1948 - died 1 April, 2005), was an English dancer and entertainment's manager, most famous as the wife of Michael Barrymore.

Biography

A trained dancer, married Cheryl St Claire took work in the publicity department of EMI records between shows, where she met young PR man and life long friend Max Clifford.

After her early marriage failed, Cheryl took part in several West End theatre shows; during one of which in 1974 she met entertainer Michael Barrymore.

Wife and Manager

Cheryl and Michael married in 1976, although not until after Barrymore had paid off his mother who threatened to reveal a previous 18 months long gay love affair. Cheryl claimed they had a full marriage including sex, which Michael has never denied was the initial case.

With Cheryl as manager and the mastermind behind Barrymore's meteoric rise, he firstly won a 1979 edition of "New Faces," and then became a regular panellist on "Blankety Blank" and the warm-up man for Larry Grayson on the "Generation Game.".

From there Barrymore rose to fame presenting ITV1 entertainment show "Strike It Lucky" from 1986, followed by "Kids Say the Funniest Things" and "My Kind of Music." Barrymore was voted the UK's favourite TV star several times, and became one of the highest-paid stars on TV. However, Cheryl later revealed that Barrymore had problems with alcohol and depression, and as a result of an attack on her at the Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles, she was placed by British police on the "at risk" register.

Split with Barrymore

At the height of his popularity, Barrymore suffered increasing alcohol problems. Barrymore claims he wanted to seek help, but that Cheryl continually told him: "No, you’re not (alcoholic). Don’t be stupid."

In mid 1995, Barrymore went to gay pub The White Swan in London's East End, where he serenaded a startled crowd of muscled young skinheads with the words: "Start spreading the news, I'm gay today." Within 48 hours, every tabloid newspaper had printed its own version of the evening's events, including an untrue claim that the star had thrown away his wedding ring.

In November 1995, Barrymore attended the National Television Awards, where clearly drunk he made a rambling, incoherent speech. At an after-show party on a live late night radio show, he publicly declared he was gay and "no longer wanted to live a lie," following which he split with Cheryl. Cheryl later claimed that Barrymore took the step and didn't tell her because of his talks with Princess Diana, and that the day Barrymore announced he was gay, was also the day her menopause started.

After several aborted reunions, they later divorced in 1997 and Cheryl went on to publish the autobiography "Catch a Falling Star," which contained details of their acrimonious split. The couple subsequently had no contact, and Cheryl at her request ceased to be Barrymore's agent or manager.

After Barrymore

Cheryl devoted her energies of managing other artists and situations after their split, including Rebecca Loos after her allegations of an affair with England football captain David Beckham emerged, PR managed by Max Clifford.

When her ex-husband was tried for the murder of meat factory worker Stuart Lubbock, Cheryl provided to the Lubbock family lawyer both an sworn affidavit and subsequent court testimony that her ex-husband had lied under oath, and could in actual fact swim. She also alleged the entertainer had rubbed cocaine on to the gums of other people as well as himself.

Barrymore later suggested in his 2006 autobiography "Awight Now: Setting the Record Straight" that Cheryl was a control freak who controlled his every movement including his clothes, and she had created the character that was "Michael Barrymore," which also resultantly drove him to alcohol, drugs and gay affairs.

Death

After her split with Barrymore, Cheryl's health was often fragile. In 2003 she almost died after suffering a burst ulcer, and in late 2004 she was investigated for Chronic fatigue syndrome, when she complained of feeling unwell.

On April 1, 2005, Cheryl Barrymore died suddenly at the age of 56 at St John and St Elizabeth Hospital in St John's Wood, having been diagnosed with lung cancer just six weeks earlier. Shortly before her death she asked that details of her condition be kept secret from her former husband, and also left instructions that he should not be invited to attend her funeral.

External links

• Obituary at BBC News