Following revelations in the press this weekend that former Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott fought a career-long battle with bulimia, legendary British comic and environmental campaigner Freddie Starr has finally broken more than twenty years of silence to explain what really happened to that hamster.
Starr 65, and Prescott 69, have been friends for many years and are known to have shared a number of family holidays together at Hank Marvin's luxury villa on the Isle of Wight.
In March 1986 Starr was accused of eating a friend's hamster after returning from a Manchester nightclub in the early hours of the morning to stay at their home. Starr has now admitted for the first time, not only that Prescott was with him that night but that it was in fact the MP for Hull East who consumed the rodent.
"John was out of control", Starr admitted, "and just stuffing his face with anything he could lay his hands on. All I can say is I'm glad Vince and Lea's pet Labrador was staying with friends at the time or who knows what could have happened - particularly as John is very partial to sweet and sour anything" he added.
Fearing for his political career, Prescott convinced his friend to 'take the rap' for the hamster incident, arguing that Starr's reputation as a serious entertainer was "more or less over anyway".
Alan the hamster would have been 27 today.
