Boy George receives lifetime achievement honour at LGBT Awards

Boy George receives lifetime achievement honour at LGBT Awards5 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleJosh ParryLGBT & identity reporter, The British LGBT Awards Red CarpetGetty ImagesBoy George at the British LGBT Awards in London on ThursdayBoy George has received a lifetime achievement award at the British LGBT Awards.The accolade was a surprise for the Culture Club singer, who was presented with the honour by French fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier at a ceremony in central London.Organisers said it was given to celebrate Boy George's significant contribution to British musical culture.It was a successful night for the 64-year-old musician, who also beat the likes of Charli XCX and Doja Cat to take home the award for music artist of the year.Getty ImagesBoy George with French fashion designer Jean Paul GaultierIt comes after his recent disappointment at the Eurovision Song Content, where he appeared as a guest performer on San Marino's entry, but failed to make it through to the final.Speaking before the event, he told the BBC he wanted to write the UK's entry for 2027 rather than perform it."I think the emphasis should be about the song. Write the song first, then find the singer," he said."You need someone with an amazing voice, like a big European belting hit the sky voice […] and the song should be a ballad that's pretending to be disco, that's pretending to be Irish, but a bit gay. I mean, that's so Eurovision."Boy George, whose real name is George O'Dowd, is best known for the 1980s hit Karma Chameleon.He also became known for challenging the gender stereotypes of fashion; wearing make-up and ribbons in his hair on Top of the Pops in 1982, at a time when most pop stars kept their sexuality hidden. He was hit by scandal in 2006 after pleading guilty to falsely reporting a burglary in New York and again in London in 2009, when he was sentenced to 15 months in jail for the false imprisonment...