Boy George has received a lifetime achievement award at the British LGBT Awards.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Organisers said it was given to celebrate Boy George’s significant contribution to British musical culture.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n Boy George with French fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n It comes after his recent disappointment<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n Speaking before the event, he told the BBC he wanted to write the UK’s entry for 2027 rather than perform it.<\/p>\n “I think the emphasis should be about the song. Write the song first, then find the singer,” he said.<\/p>\n “You need someone with an amazing voice, like a big European belting hit the sky voice [\u2026] 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.”<\/p>\n Boy George, whose real name is George O’Dowd, is best known for the 1980s hit Karma Chameleon.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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 of Audun Carlsen, a model and escort.<\/p>\n He served four months and has since quit drink and drugs, often crediting his career’s longevity to his sobriety.<\/p>\n The hosts of this year’s awards, Ruby Wax and Tom Read Wilson<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>