Cheryl Barrymore He was voted the UK's favourite TV star several times, and became one of the highest-paid stars on TV. Cheryl later revealed that Michael had problems with alcohol, drugs, gambling and depression. As a result of her husband's physical assault on her at the Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles, California, she was placed by British police on the "at risk" register. At the height of his popularity, Michael Barrymore suffered increasing alcohol problems. He claimed that he had wanted to seek help, but that his wife told him: "No, you’re not (alcoholic). Don’t be stupid." In November 1995, Michael attended
Cheryl Barrymore had paid off his mother, who threatened to reveal a previous 18-month-long gay love affair. She later claimed, without contradiction from her estranged husband, that they had had a "full" marriage, including connubial relations. With Cheryl as Michael's manager and the mastermind behind his meteoric rise, he won a 1979 edition of "New Faces". He later became a panelist on "Blankety Blank" and the warm-up man for Larry Grayson on the "Generation Game". From there Michael rose to fame presenting ITV entertainment show "Strike It Lucky" from 1986, followed by "Kids Say the Funniest Things" and "My Kind of Music".