BARRIE Drewitt-Barlow has revealed that he didn’t want ugly children, so paid a model £50,000 to be his egg donor.
The 54-year-old millionaire, along with his ex-husband Tony Drewitt-Barlow, were the first gay men in the UK to father children through surrogacy.
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After parting ways, Barrie found love with Scott, 31, who is also the ex-boyfriend of Tony and Barrie’s 24-year-old daughter Saffron.
And now, on a recent episode of Stacey Dooley Sleeps Over, Barrie, who has eight kids via surrogacy, confirmed that he paid a model in Miami £50,000 to be his egg donor.
When asked by presenter Stacey Dooley, “How did you find your egg donor?” Barrie explained: “The egg donor we found on a catwalk in Miami.”
And when Stacey wondered, “What drew you to her?” the father confidently confirmed: “It was her looks, completely.
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“I’m absolutely honest about it, why the hell not?
“When I saw her on the catwalk, I looked at Scott, and I went, ‘oh f**k, she is stunning.’
“I tell you, her legs were six feet in the air. We’ve got hundreds of those models on our books right now.”
Floored by Barrie’s honesty, the 38-year-old presenter responded: “That reasoning, from your point of view, will infuriate some people.”
But to this, the entrepreneur, who previously appeared on Rich House Poor House, confessed: “Absolutely. ‘Just buying a baby,’ that’s what people will say.
“Most people could do a lot worse than spend one month of their life on drugs to give some embryos for £50,000.”
Following this, the red-haired presenter wondered: “Do you worry it’s slippery slope if we just start saying, ‘oh, we just want beautiful kids?’”
Setting the record straight, Barrie admitted: “No. What do you want me to say, we need ugly ones as well?
“I’m sorry. I just can’t lie.”
I really couldn’t give a flying f**k about rubbing anybody up the wrong way
Barrie Drewitt-Barlow
The businessman, who previously revealed he had gifted his baby granddaughter Marina a swanky £1million house and a £5million trust fund when she was born, also added: “Nobody wants an ugly kid.
“Sometimes we get them, but we don’t always want them, and we deal with it and carry on.”
Stacey, who was previously slammed by “disappointed” fans after announcing Lily Phillips as the star of her new TV series, then added: “I just don’t think that would be a priority for me, if I were to go down that route.
“The idea that it’s got to be stunning. I think that’s what rubs [people] up the wrong way.”
Who are Tony and Barrie Drewitt-Barlow?
BARRIE Drewitt-Barlow and ex-husband Tony were Britain’s first gay dads, fathering a twin boy and girl through surrogacy.
The couple met in 1987 when Tony stopped at a petrol station in Manchester to ask for directions.
At the time, Tony had won the runner up prize in the the New Scientist of the year award.
The pair went to court to be allowed to have same-sex parents on the birth certificates as “parent one” and “parent two” instead of “mother and father”. It was a historic case for the LGBTQ community.
Saffron and Aspen were conceived using the donor eggs of one woman, Tracie McCune, and were then carried in the womb of another woman, Rosalind Bellany.
Although Barrie and Tony each fathered a child, they have never revealed which dad is the biological father of which twin as they want to be equal parents.
They have made their money from various business ventures including a trans-Atlantic surrogacy business and a global medical research company. They also earn cash from real estate.
The couple split in 2019, after Barrie confirmed he had fallen for daughter Saffron’s ex Scott.
Visibly unphased, the Manchester-born man, who is reportedly worth a staggering £200million, boasted: “Well, I really couldn’t give a flying f**k about rubbing anybody up the wrong way.”
Barrie, who is used to £20,000 meals out and lives in seven lavish mansions around the world, including in Florida and Essex, also shared: “That’s not what I’m about. I couldn’t care less.
“But in an honest world, you want your kids to have a chance.”
Big divide
The short clip from the new series, which was shared on TikTok on the official @streamonu account, has clearly left many open-mouthed, as it has quickly racked up 357,900 views in just 19 hours.
Not only this, but it’s also amassed 10,000 likes and 404 comments.
But social media users were left totally divided by Barrie’s claims – while many thought he was speaking “facts,” not everyone was as complimentary.
The audacity of these men! It’s not like they’re oil paintings!
TikTok user
One person said: “My son is so cute but has autism and non-verbal. Looks mean nothing. I would much rather be able to talk to my child.”
Another added: “Poor kid.”
A third commented: “Can you imagine the pressure on the child especially during puberty when the body does its own thing! The audacity of these men! It’s not like they’re oil paintings!”
However, at the same time, one user wrote: “He’s got a point.”
Another chimed in: “You want the best for your kids so I don’t see how hoping they’re attractive is a bad thing. Pretty privilege is real and will impact their life in a positive way.”
Whilst one woman penned: “Of course everybody wants their kids to be good looking. Life is easier if you’re pretty. Fact. It’s wrong, but it’s true.”
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