Michael Barrymore, 72, steps out with a mystery male companion as he starts his new life in Spain and continues to use TikTok to relaunch his career two decades after pool tragedy

Michael Barrymore stepped out with a male companion on Tuesday as he started his new life in Spain.

The comedian, 72, who has used TikTok to revive his career, dressed in a cream Sherpa jacket and zip-up sweater.

Next to him was a male companion, looking stylish in wide-leg jeans and a white hoodie.

Michael and the man – who have previously been seen together – took his pet Lara for a walk through the town of El Papiol, near Barcelona.

Michael recently revealed his plans to move to Spain ‘to change his life for the better’ in a TikTok video.

According to reports from July, he put his London house up for sale before heading to Spain.

The comedian, 72, who has used TikTok to revive his career, dressed in a cream Sherpa jacket and zip-up sweater

Barrymore was previously one of Britain’s top stars, but his decades-long career ended after the death of Stuart Lubbock in 2001 following a party at his home in Essex.

On his recent personal TikTok account, he titled a video with his puppy “Our New Life in Spain.”

A second video posted was called ‘Week 1 in Barcelona’ and Barrymore tells the cameras: ‘I said I was homesick, but I realize now I was just scared.

‘What I really want is for our new life to go well. I have now developed a bit of a routine that helps me to relax. I take Lara (his dog) for a walk to the beach every morning and then we find a place to eat something, have a cup of coffee or have a drink. walk through the city.

He captioned his post: “Never be afraid to change your life for the better #michaelbarrymore #movingabroad.”

Explaining why he decides to move the ship, Michael said: “Hey guys, yes, I’m moving to Barcelona.

‘I am now 72 and I realize that quality of life is more important to me than anything else, so I am going to Spain.

‘I like the place. It’s not the Spain I grew up with, there are all the package resorts we all know, this is mainland Spain, it’s amazing.

By his side was a male companion, who looked stylish in wide-leg jeans and a white hoodie as they took Michael’s pet Lara for a walk around the town of El Papiol, close to Barcelona.

Michael recently revealed his plans to move to Spain ‘to change his life for the better’ in a TikTok video

A second video posted was called ‘Week 1 in Barcelona’ and Barrymore tells the cameras: ‘I said I was homesick, but I realize now I was just scared’

“The culture there and the people and just the art and all that. I started looking for houses in Girona and the Catalonia region in March.

‘I’ve flown a few times already to look for places and see what I like. Once I have decided which villa I like, probably near Lloret de Mar, of course I will take Dave with me and of course I will take you.

‘So don’t worry, I’m going to vlog everything and you’ll follow the whole story with me.

‘Until I find the villa of my dreams, I’m going to find out as much as I can about it, download Duolingo, learn the language. I can’t wait.’

The move to Spain comes more than twenty years after a young man was found dead in his swimming pool after a house party and Michael virtually disappeared from public life.

The TV presenter soon after lost his job at ITV in 2003, and was rarely seen again until he appeared on Celebrity Big Brother in January 2006 and finished in second place.

A series of attempts to revive his career followed, but these were often overshadowed by the ongoing investigation into the death of Stuart Lubbock.

Between that year and 2019, Barrymore and others were arrested and interrogated several times.

Barrymore’s decades-long career ended after the death of Stuart Lubbock in 2001 following a party at his home in Essex (pictured in his show Strike it Lucky in 1986)

Stuart Lubbock (pictured) was found dead in the Barrymore swimming pool more than twenty years ago

No charges were ever laid and the star eventually sued Essex Police for wrongful arrest, although he dropped his £2.4 million compensation claim after a court ruled he was owed ‘nominal’ damages.

But the TV personality has taken his career back into his own hands by building a loyal fan base on social media app TikTok.

He is no stranger to the stage. He performed sold-out shows before his career collapsed in 2001 when Lubbock, 31, was found dead in the swimming pool of his Essex mansion after the star hosted a late-night party.

He has always denied any knowledge of what happened.

The artist has now amassed 3.1 million followers on the social media platform, where his bio reads: ‘This is a very happy place to be…’

Barrymore posts several videos a day and his followers often leave him messages of love and support.

Michael has become Gen Z’s unlikely hero by reinventing himself as a TikTok star, 20 years after the swimming pool tragedy halted his career

But online he is not afraid to come out of his shell and has posted several humorous clips

“You’re really living your best life right now and you’re clearly loving it,” one admirer wrote under his videos, “So happy for you.”

Another said: ‘You will always be the funniest man… we love you Mr Barrymore, I wish you all the happiness in the world.’

Barrymore repeatedly shares old clips from his television shows Kids Say The Funniest Things and Strike It Rich, which aired on ITV between 1998 and 2000 and 1996 to 1999 respectively.

He has also expressed his love for the video battle royale game Fortnite, loved by the Gen Z crowd.