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EastEnders’ Shaun Williamson has makeover to break Barry stereotype

He wants to banish his "Barry from EastEnders" look

EastEnders legend Shaun Williamson has undergone a transformation to finally banish the image of his character Barry Evans.

14 years after leaving the soap, Shaun is still best known as hapless Barry, who was killed off on the BBC soap in 2004 after being pushed off a cliff by his wife, Janine Butcher.

During Friday’s Loose Women, Shaun came face-to-face with the chaps of Netflix makeover show Queer Eye as the group were given the task of transforming his look.

Shaun got rid of his Barry image. After the makeover (left) and as he was before (right) (Credit: ITV)

Read more: Loose Women viewers in hysterics as Mel B’s daughter gives her a shock makeover

Speaking backstage about his character Barry before the transformation, Shaun said: “It’s never gone away. We were lucky to get the end of the big audiences, because there were less leisure options in those days.

“We got 20 million an episode on a bog standard Monday night so it just hasn’t gone anywhere.”

Shaun wanted to banish the old Barry image (Credit: ITV)

Revealing why his image has never really changed, Shaun added: “I’m under no pressure to look good because Barry was a bit fat and scruffy but I’m having my eyes opened today.”

At the end of the show, Shaun’s new look was finally revealed.

Walking out on set, Shaun, 52, looked thrilled as he showcased his new trendy look.

ITV
The cast of Queer Eye gave Shaun a makeover! (Credit: ITV)

He sported a slick brown bomber jacket and a pair of black jeans.

Discussing Shaun’s new look, fashion expert Tan France said: “What we did was make sure his hair no longer looked like Barry so we brought it out of his face, gave it a bit of volume.

Shaun was thrilled with the makeover! (Credit: ITV)

“The most dramatic change is in his outfit. He looked much older than he was and I don’t think Barry would have ever worn this, so Shaun looks incredible in something a lot more youthful.”

He added: “You look younger and lighter.”

Karamo Brown added: “He said he never tried because he was used to people calling him Barry. He can be the star of his own life.”

He told Shaun: “Separate work from life. You are not Barry, you are Shaun.”

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Shaun, who appeared in Celebrity Big Brother last year, played Barry from 1994 to 2004.

BBC
Shaun is best known for playing Barry on the soap (Credit: BBC)

Meanwhile, Queer Eye is a Netflix reboot of the series Queer Eye for the Straight Guy that ran until 2007.

The show features the Fab Five, a team of style experts that try to overhaul people’s lives by giving them a makeover.

The team consists of food and wine expert Antoni Porowski, fashion expert Tan France, culture expert Karamo Brown, design expert Bobby Berk and grooming expert Jonathan Van Ness.

Do you watch Queer Eye? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know what you think!


Rebecca Carter
Associate Editor (News)

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