FAMILY and friends of the man found dead at television entertainer Michael Barrymore's Roydon home have denied he was gay.o

Stuart Lubbock, 31, was found floating in the star's swimming pool after a drug-fuelled party at his Beaumont Park Drive bungalow in March last year.

An inquest being held at Epping Coroner's Court this week has heard how Mr Lubbock suffered "excrutiatingly painful" anal injuries and pathologists admitted they were baffled as to how he died.

At the hearing yesterday, Mr Lubbock's brother, Kevin, and former partners, Claire Wicks and Karen Harris, said he was a 'ladies man' and they did not think he was gay.

Mr Lubbock's father, Terry, broke down and had to be led from the court as brother Kevin's statement and evidence was heard.

"Stuart was not gay or bi-sexual. He loved women and he could pull lots of girls. He never spoke of a man coming on to him. It was women, women, women. It is like saying the Pope does not live in Rome."

Claire Wicks, Mr Lubbock's former partner of six years and the mother of his two-year-old and five-year-old daughters, said that despite a split in October 2000 they had become close again.

"I recall watching the programme Queer As Folk and he would say 'f***ing perverts'. He was not comfortable with it (homosexuality) in the least."

She added that he had admitted taking ecstasy in the past but had never taken it in front of her.

Mr Lubbock died after meeting Mr Barrymore at Harlow's Millennium nightclub and catching a taxi cab back to his Roydon home for a party. Tests show he had a mixture of alcohol, cocaine and ecstasy in his blood.

Mr Lubbock had been at the nightclub with his brother, Kevin, who told the hearing he had seen Mr Barrymore early on in the night at the nightclub.

"He was wearing a shabby white jumper and he was drunk. He looked like he had just been throwing up in the loo," he said. "I went up to him and shook his hand and said 'alwight', he smiled and walked off."

Kevin said he lost his brother later that night and left the club without him.

He described his brother as "my tower of strength". "He was special," he said.

Kevin said that before the fateful night out he had texted his brother. "He texted back 'luv you bro' and I texted 'ditto'."

Mrs Wicks added: "I was devastated."

September 12, 2002 09:00