STEPHEN Fry joked that he would “kill” an audience member if they didn’t answer their phone when it started to ring in the middle of the star’s powerful British LGBT Awards speech.
The 61-year-old comic was poignantly reflecting on losing friends to the AIDs epidemic in the year that he left University when he was rudely interrupted by the call.
Stephen was being honoured with the Lifetime Achievement gong at last night’s ceremony at the swanky London Marriot Hotel.
Taking to the stage, the much-loved comic kicked off his moving acceptance speech looking back on his “lifetime of being gay”.
Stephen then revealed that he didn’t come out until he was at University, continuing: “Just as I was leaving University, the exact year, I read an article about AIDs. Some of the lovely, beautiful, extraordinary young men I was at University with I found myself visiting in hospital.
“Seeing them emaciated, ill, dying. Parents struggling to come to terms as their son told them that they were gay and going to die in the same sentence.
“It seemed that rainbow was further away than it had ever been and our lives would be forever banished from the world of love and connection.
“But with the help of some of those parents, the miraculous work of doctors, campaigners, and organisations… The extraordinary will of our community, the anger and outrage of our community, things began to change and the tide has turned.”
At this point, a phone loudly started to ring from the crowd.
Stopping himself mid-sentence and without missing a beat, Stephen remained deadpan as he warned: “Answer it or I will kill you.”
The comment drew cheers and whooping from the audience, with the QI host professionally continuing with his speech without falter.
Earlier, Stephen had recalled being scared that he was destined to a life without love as he came to terms with his sexuality.
Speaking openly, the star shared: “All I had [growing up] were books, and while books were wonderful they also gave me the view that if you were homosexual then your lifetime was a doomed lifetime of shame, secrecy, police courts and ostracism and expulsion from the normal world.
“I pictured my future as either having to deny myself my nature and who I was or being a sad, lonely creature with no chance of love in my life.”
Stephen was at the lavish ceremony with his husband, Elliot Spencer, 32, and the star concluded his speech by honouring his spouse.
Detailing the progression of gay rights in the UK, the star celebrated the fact that gay marriage was legalised in 2014.
He continued: “And exactly four years, five months, and minus two days ago I married my husband Elliot and that lonely prospect didn’t happen for me.”
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