Michael Barrymore has slammed telly bosses for axing him from schedules.
The presenter, 71, was ditched by ITV when Stuart Lubbock was found dead at his home in 2001.
Despite never being charged with any crime, he is still shunned by the industry to this day.
READ MORE: ‘Happier than ever’ Michael Barrymore, 71, eyes huge comeback after binning booze
He told the Daily Star: “It’s strange that companies don’t employ innocent people. Maybe you have to be guilty to get a job in TV, I don’t know. From my experience they don’t employ innocent people.
“It’s unfair, of course. It’s terrible. You’re supposed to support people.
(Image: Humphrey Nemar)
“You’re supposed to support the people that work for you. You’re supposed to be caring.”
Michael struggled to cope when his career fell apart.
He said: “The amount of confidence you need to work the way I did at my peak was phenomenal and that took years to build up.
“When everything went my confidence was completely smashed. It has taken me 22 years to get that back.”
(Image: PA)
Michael has made just a handful of TV appearances over the past two decades, including Celebrity Big Brother in 2006.
He said: “I haven’t been asked to do any shows. I haven’t had a word from anyone.
“Nobody has been in touch because they don’t want to deal with all the crap.
“But why would I want to go back to a place like that? Why would I want to go back to a place where you get treated like that?”
(Image: Humphrey Nemar)
He was approached by a writer on the hit ITV comedy Benidorm about a cameo role, but it never happened.
Michael said: “I think the people upstairs didn’t want it.”
Barrymore is on a showbiz comeback trail after a major health kick made him feel 30 years younger.
He’s ditched booze, taken up long walks and is boosting his mental health with the help of 30,000 messages of support from years-long fans every week.
And he said he’s “happier than ever” as a result.
(Image: Humphrey Nemar)
He told the Daily Star: “I can’t tell you how happy I am now. I’m the busiest I’ve ever been and I’m the happiest I’ve ever been.
“I am probably the fittest I’ve been, too. I walk a lot, I eat well and I do what I love.
““I’m 71 and I feel fitter than I was when I was 40 when I was drinking and all that.”
Michael is now attempting to get his life back on track by carving out a new career as a theatre director.
His first project has been masterminding new West End show Laurel & Chaplin — The Feud, which runs at London’s Cambridge Theatre until August 28.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
