Comedian Joe Lycett has explained his £10,000 cash shredder stunt, admitting that he did not destroy any money. The funnyman had been carrying out a protest over the involvement of David Beckham in the Qatar World Cup.
He offered to donate £10,000 of his own money to LGBTQ+ charities if Beckham ended the sponsorship before the tournament started. If not, he said he would livestream himself shredding the cash along with Beckham’s “status as a gay icon”.
Beckham reportedly was set to earn £10 million to help Qatar publicise the World Cup. Homosexuality is still illegal in Qatar and anyone found participating in same-sex sexual activity can be punished with up to seven years in prison.
Read more: Chris Hemsworth to take acting break after blood test health scare
Lycett had said he would shred the money - and, as Beckham did not repent, appeared to have done so in a video. However, now he has posted new footage of himself explaining he did not destroy the cash.
The comic said he had in fact donated the £10,000 to LGBTQ+ charities, before shredding the cover of Beckham’s 2002 Attitude Magazine. “I haven’t quite told you the whole truth, because the truth is the money that went into the shredder was real, but the money that came out was fake,” Lycett said in a video shared on Twitter.
“I would never destroy real money, I would never be so irresponsible. In fact, the £10,000 had already been donated to LGBTQ+ charities before I even pressed send on the initial tweet last week.
“I never expected to hear from you, it was an empty threat designed to get people talking. In many ways it was like your deal with Qatar, David – total b******* from the start.
“There is one thing I’ll shred. This is your Attitude Magazine cover from June 2002, the first ever cover of a gay magazine with a Premier League footballer on it.
“I asked Attitude if I could shred it, and they were more than happy to oblige.” The @AttitudeMag Twitter account ‘liked’ the tweet and replied, “The pleasure is all ours, @joelycett – trust us.”
A number of celebrities praised Lycett for the reveal, with radio presenter Sara Cox writing “I LOVE YOU @joelycett”. Comedian Adam Hills meanwhile replied, “Nailed it.”
Read next:
- ITV I'm A Celebrity star Boy George 'threatens to quit' show in explosive rant at crew
Amazon customer spends £630 on new phone - but is sent wire cutters instead
New jobs created after car garage opens on Nottinghamshire industrial estate
Nottingham baker gets her 'happy ending' after having to shut down bakery
