What is Boy George’s real name? The I’m a Celebrity star’s rise to fame as Culture Club singer explained
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Boy George has entered I’m a Celebrity as reportedly one of the most expensive bookings in the show’s history.
The iconic pop star has already proved an entertaining edition to camp, tweaking his designated camp uniform for a punkier look in line with his personal style, and teaching fellow campmates about his Buddhist lifestyle.
At the age of 61, the singer-songwriter who first shot to fame as the lead singer of 80’s band Culture Cub has led a colourful life so far – dabbling in art, fashion design and record production.
When asked why he’s entered the jungle, he said: “I am bored of being iconic in the corner and if you want to compete in the world then being part of telly is part of that.
“This is the biggest show on TV and that is why I am doing it.”
What is Boy George’s real name?
Boy George was born George Alan O’Dowd in Kent to Irish-Catholic parents Jerry O’Dowd (a builder) and Dinah O’Dowd.
He created his stage name when he joined Culture Club in 1981 alongside Roy Hay, Mikey Craig, and Jon Moss.
In 2014, during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Boy George was asked if he’d change his name to reflect his age.
When asked if he’d ever change his name to Man George, he said: “I didn’t want to confuse people by becoming The Artist Formerly Known as.”
“Boy George is a brand that I created and is familiar to people. Heaven knows they’ve had enough confusion,” he continued.
“I’m not deluded. I know I’m an older man, but I’m a boy at heart. Life is about learning to be yourself, and I think I’ve gone in this interesting full circle.
“In spirit, I’m very much back to the person I was when I first started my career.”
How did Boy George become an icon?
Boy George was a fan of the New Romantics movement and spent a lot of time in the early 80s living in various squats across London, frequenting iconic New Romantics club Blitz.
His androgenous style caught the eye of Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren, who arranged for Boy George to join Bow Wow Wow under the stage name Lieutenant Lush.
However, he quickly left to form Culture Club with Adam and the Ants drummer Jon Moss and adopted the stage name Boy George.
The band went on to release handfuls of hit songs, including Karma Chameleon, Do You Really Want to Hurt Me and Time (Clock Of The Heart).
From there, he went on to release solo music from the late 80s.
He has had two memoirs published: one called Take It Like a Man in 1995, and another called Straight – which was released in 2005.