Julian Clary 'almost killed' three times while on stage in front of live audience

Comedian and pantomime star Julian Clary admitted he has had three near death experiences while on stage in front of a live audience thanks to one stage prop

Actor and comedian Julian Clary has revealed he's had "several brushes with death," including in front of a live audience.

The Celebrity Big Brother winner, 65, kicked off his career in the mid-1980s having performed in front of crowds for decades. He has become known for his standup comedy, pantomime performances as well as TV work. Julian has worked on the likes of Friday Night Live, Terry and Julian as well as Julian Clary's Sticky Moments.

However, it hasn't always gone to plan for the funnyman. Julian has admitted he has almost met his marker multiple times in front of crowds. He is gearing up for his ninth year at the London Palladium but hopes to escape his near death experiences once more. Julian revealed he faced the end three times before.

"On three occasions, a glitterball has crashed to the ground, and the old-fashioned glitterballs are huge and very heavy," Julian told the Metro. "They were made of metal and hooked up above where you’re performing with a safety chain. But somehow, three times over the decades, something has gone wrong and a scenery change has happened when something has knocked into the glitterball so it’s come loose and crashed to the ground, within inches of me each time, and smashed onto the stage."

Julian recalled one time he was performing in Australia when the glitterball crashed into a woman sat on the front row. He said it crushed her knee and severely injured her. Julian admitted that each time the glitterball fell down he thought he could have died, however he added: "But I’ve also thought, what a way to go!"

Earlier this year, Julian paused one of his live shows to pay tribute to his close friend Paul O'Grady. The Lily Savage star and comedian died in March 2023, with Julian deciding to recall some of their final messages while on stage in Liverpool. Birkenhead born Paul sadly died aged 67, with Julian delivering a heartwarming eulogy at the comedy icon's funeral the following month.

"He tells the audience, "I'm just going to pause a moment", and goes on to share some memories of his dear friend," Cheryl Mullin wrote in her review for the Liverpool Echo. "He shares that 'Savage' would often call him up, and spend an hour and a half on the phone, starting off with a rant about someone - or something - that had annoyed him, but that the calls would end with laughter.

"Then he recalls some of the text messages Paul sent him - including some choice advice for his 60th birthday - and ends the segment with a touching song dedicated to the much-loved entertainer." In an appearance on the One Show, Julian also paid tribute to Paul as he said: "He was just full of natural kindness and random generosity, y'know, as well as the big charities, he was always helping people." Julian also mentioned how Paul's upbringing influenced his generous spirit: "The values he grew up with, I guess."

Follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTubeand Threads.