Comedian Joe Lycett has revealed he did not really shred £10,000 during a protest against David Beckham’s role as an ambassador for the Qatar World Cup.
Lycett livestreamed himself apparently destroying the cash on Sunday after the ex-England footballer did not respond to his ultimatum to drop the job in support of LGBT people.
On Monday, Lycett confirmed he had in fact donated the money to charity.
He said destroying the cash would have been “irresponsible”.
Some LGBT fans have boycotted the Fifa Men’s World Cup over Qatar’s treatment of gay people, as same-sex relationships are criminalised in the country.
In a video update posted on Twitter, Lycett explained: “The truth is, the money that went into the shredder was real, but the money that came out was fake.
“In fact, the 10 grand had already been donated to LGBTQ+ charities before I even pressed send on the initial tweet last week.”
“I would never destroy real money,” he told his followers, “I would never be so irresponsible.”
Addressing Beckham directly, he added: “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 [rubbish] from the start.
“In the previous video, Lycett described Beckham as a “gay icon” but warned that this status was now under threat.
The Birmingham-born comic ended his latest update by actually shredding a copy of Beckham’s Attitude front cover, saying he had been given the blessing of the magazine, which was the first gay publication to shoot a Premier League star. (BBC)