I’m A Celebrity star Boy George is earning megabucks to take part in the 2022 series, it has been reported.
And so far it seems the 1980s icon is earning his fee, taking part in challenges and causing controversy with towel-gate.
However, one thing he refused to do is eat bugs in his task.
Read on for all we know about I’m A Celebrity star Boy George…
Who is I’m A Celebrity star Boy George?
I’m A Celebrity star Boy George shot to fame in the 1980s as the lead singer with the band Culture Club.
He was born George Alan O’Dowd and tweaked his name to fit his personality.
Where is Boy George from?
Boy George was born at Barnehurst Hospital in Kent and raised in Eltham, south-east London.
He is the second of five children born to builder dad Jerry – who died in 2004 – and mum Dinah.
George was raised in an Irish working-class Catholic family.
He has one older brother called Kevin, two younger brothers called Gerald and David and a younger sister called Siobhan.
He also has an older half-brother called Richard who was born out of wedlock when his mum was 18.
She left Ireland and moved to London to escape the stigma of being an unmarried mother.
George has compared his family history to a “sad Irish song.”
His grandmother was taken from her family at age six after being found outside the family home alone, and placed into an Industrial School.
His great uncle Thomas Bryan was executed by the British in 1921 during the Irish War of Independence.
Dinah also claimed that her husband Jerry was physically and mentally abusive to her, alleging that he beat her while she was pregnant with George.
George himself has said: “He was a terrible father and a terrible husband.”
Furthermore, the singer’s youngest brother Gerald, who has schizophrenia, was convicted of killing his wife in 1995.
It happened during an episode of paranoia.
He pleaded guilty to manslaughter on grounds of diminished responsibility.
Dinah said in 2017 that after a period of detention he was doing “okay”.
In 2020, Dinah was hospitalised, with George asking fans to pray for her recovery.
Thankfully, she was soon released from hospital in south-east London.
How old is Boy George?
George was born on June 14, 1961 – making him 61 years old.
How tall is Boy George?
George stands at 180cm or 5ft 11in tall.
Can Boy George still sing? Does Boy George still perform?
He most certainly can – and he definitely does.
George has been busy touring the world – both as a solo artist and with Culture Club.
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Does Boy George have a daughter?
Boy George doesn’t have any children.
Does Boy George have a wife? Who is his partner?
George opened up about his sexuality in a 1983 interview with Joan Rivers.
She asked: “Do you prefer men or women?”
He replied: “Oh both.”
In 1985, he told Barbara Walters he was bisexual and had various girlfriends and boyfriends.
He also famously said that he preferred “a nice cup of tea” to sex.
In his 1995 autobiography, Take It Like A Man, George stated that he was actually gay.
He claimed he’d had secret relationships with punk rocker Kirk Brandon and Culture Club drummer Jon Moss.
George also said that many of the songs he wrote for Culture Club were about his romance with his bandmate.
Although he stated he has had girlfriends and boyfriends, Boy George has never been married.
Are Boy George and Marilyn still friends?
The singer had a pretty public fall out with fellow 1980s singer Marilyn over the upcoming Culture Club biopic Karma Chameleon.
George and Marilyn’s friendship has been pretty volatile over the years, with the latest row erupting after Marilyn accused George of snubbing him from the film project.
“They are going to have to tell his story without any references to me or my character. I’m sure it’ll be fascinating without my inclusion all the same,” he said on Twitter.
However, the pair soon made up.
Marilyn tweeted back in April 2021 that their friendship had been healed.
“Just had a lovely 2hr conversation with @BoyGeorge and I think that the film situation is potentially sorted.
“I must say that I do love it so much when we get on!! He really is an incredible person, after all is said and done.”
George replied: “I have zero against the dear thing. Her fight is purely with herself… I have only love for the trout but will I put up with the antics.”
What is his net worth?
Boy George is said to be worth a huge £43 million.
And, as a result of his huge star power, it’s been claimed that his fee for I’m A Celebrity is the highest ever paid to a contestant.
A source claimed to the Mail Online : “He has been secured the highest pay check in the history of the show – close to £900,000.”
What are the most famous Boy George songs?
His first hit with Culture Club was Do You Really Want To Hurt Me?.
It was released off the album Kissing To Be Clever in 1982 and went to number one in multiple countries around the world.
Their follow-up album, Colour By Numbers, was another huge success, spawning Church Of The Poison Mind and Karma Chameleon.
The latter was an International smash hit, peaking at number one in 16 countries around the world.
It made the top 10 in many other countries.
The song stayed at the number one spot for three weeks in America and topped the charts for six weeks in the UK.
Karma Chameleon went on to become the best-selling single of 1983 in the UK.
The group disbanded, however, in 1986.
It came after George spiralled into drug addiction and their third and fourth album performed badly.
A failed romance between George and the band’s drummer and a wrongful death lawsuit after someone died of an overdose at Boy George’s London home also contributed to the break up of the band.
However, various reunions have taken place over the years, much to the delight of fans.
Boy George on I’m A Celebrity
The singer arrived at Brisbane Airport wearing a novelty lion mask and declared he was Down Under to “do a version of the Lion Queen”.
When pushed on whether he would eat any creepy crawlies in the jungle or if he was simply a “vegan lion”, he added: “I’m a Lion Queen, I have told you. I love all creatures.”
Speaking about Ant and Dec, George confirmed that they’re also two creatures he “loves”.
He said: “I love them both.”
Earlier this year Boy George was a guest on Saturday Night Takeaway and said that he would only take part in I’m A Celebrity if they did a vegan version.
He told the boys: “Unless you do a vegan version and then I’m in.”
Is he a vegan?
In the late 1990s, Boy George revealed he was following a macrobiotic diet.
And, in 2001, he published the Karma Cookbook, co-written with a private macrobiotic cook and teacher he met in the 1980s.
He spoke about his diet in 2013, writing on Twitter: “I’m not vegan or raw. I have lots of vegan and raw food – I don’t have cow’s produce ever! I am gay though!”
By 2014 it was claimed he had become a raw vegan after years of occasionally trying the diet.
However, on This Morning in 2018, he added: “I’m vegetarian, not vegan. I couldn’t live in a world without cheese… I have cheese every day.”
It isn’t clear if George sticks to a vegan diet nowadays but he often posts pro-vegan messages on his Twitter account.
Why was Boy George arrested?
The singer struggled with heroin addiction for several years in the late 1980s.
In an attempt to save his life, his brother David appeared on TV and discussed the drug habit – which George was denying at the time.
However, as part of Operation Culture in 1986, George was arrested or heroin possession.
More scandal followed when keyboardist Michael Rudestsky, who co-wrote a song for the band, died at George’s home of an overdose.
Another friend, Mark Golding, also died later that same year, with the tragedies acting as a catalyst for George to seek treatment for his addiction.
In October 2005, Boy George was arrested in Manhattan on suspicion of cocaine possession and falsely reporting a burglary.
He denied the drugs were his and that charge was dropped, but admitted falsely reporting a burglary.
He was sentenced to five days community service and ordered to attend rehab.
Why was Boy George jailed? Who did he kidnap?
In December 2008, George was convicted for the assault and false imprisonment of Audun Carlsen – a Norwegian model and male escort.
He had originally stood for a photography session with George.
However, on their next meeting George handcuffed him to a wall fixture and beat him with a metal chain.
George said the effects of his long-term drug use were a mitigating factor.
He was sentenced to 15 months in prison.
George was incarcerated at HM Prison Pentonville in London before moving to HM Prison Highpoint North in Suffolk.
He was released after four months for good behaviour and had to wear an ankle monster and submit to a curfew for the remainder of his sentence.
George has since said the prison term was “life-changing” for him and feared it would “finish him off”.
Why was star banned in the US?
Around the time of the trial, Boy George was about to start a US tour.
However, because he was on bail awaiting trial, his visa was denied by immigration officials.
In the statement George was described to be “astounded” at the decision.
He has since performed in America.
Is he on Instagram?
He is.
You can follow the singer @boygeorgeofficial.
Read more: Boy George unimpressed as Corrie’s Steve McDonald dresses up as him
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