The eighties pop icon is heading Down Under (Pictures: ITV / Mike Prior/Getty Images)
I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! is just hours away as 10 celebrities get ready to enter camp and gear up for the notorious Bush Tucker Trials.
Stars in the line-up who’ve headed to the land Down Under have included radio DJ Chris Moyles, former Love Island contestant Olivia Attwood and royal Mike Tindall, and 80s music icon Boy George.
George, 61, arrived in Brisbane last week he was wearing a lion’s head mask and has already been pictured getting stuck into the show’s signature daring feats.
As the lead singer of the band Culture Club, Boy George was the voice behind hits like Karma Chameleon, Do You Really Want to Hurt Me, and Time (Clock of the Heart), which saw them soar to the top of the charts.
With the announcement of the casting, many have been left wondering about all things Boy George – especially what his real name is.
Here’s what you need to know about the singer’s moniker.
What is Boy George’s real name?
The star adopted the name back in the 80s (Picture: James Gourley / ITV / Shutterstock)
Unsurprisingly, Boy George is not in fact his real name.
The musician was born George Alan O’Down at Barnehurst Hospital, Kent, in 1961.
He is the second of five children born to body builder Jerry O’Down and his wife Dinah O’Dowd.
George chose to go by the stage name Boy George when forming Culture Club in 1981 alongside Roy Hay, Mikey Craig, and Jon Moss.
Speaking about his name in 2014 with The Hollywood Reporter, he said he will always remind Boy George, despite now not being a young boy.
‘I didn’t want to confuse people by becoming The Artist Formerly Known as. Boy George is a brand that I created and is familiar to people. Heaven knows they’ve had enough confusion,’ he said.
The musician has already been getting stuck in on the show (Picture: BACKGRID)
‘I’m not deluded. I know I’m an older man, but I’m a boy at heart. Life is about learning to be yourself, and I think I’ve gone in this interesting full circle.
‘In spirit, I’m very much back to the person I was when I first started my career.’
This is not the first time Boy George has changed his name.
When performing with Bow Wow Wow, he went by the name Lieutenant Lush.
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However, after a tumultuous time in the band and a problematic relationship with lead singer Annabella Lwin, he left the group.
I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! begins tonight at 9pm on ITV and ITV Hub.
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The artist has not always been known as Boy George.
