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A celebrity lookalike has revealed how he was once offered almost £6,000 to sleep with a man’s wife.
Gary Tate, who lives in Sir Bernard Paget Avenue, Repton Park, Ashford, is better known to his customers as the owner of Ashford cleaning firm Clooney’s Cleaning.
But for the past 16 years, he’s also lived a jet-setting double life as a George Clooney lookalike.
Gary, 56, said: “I’ve been doing this since 1997. George was just starting to become famous as he had a major part in the TV programme ER, and that was when people started to comment on my similarity to him.
“In 1998, The Sun newspaper did one of those ‘do you know anyone that looks like George’ competitions. Out of thousands of pictures that were sent in, I won. My life as a lookalike started then.
“Since then, I’ve lost count of the red carpets I’ve walked down, the limos I’ve ridden in, and the many countries around the world I’ve visited.”
Over the years, Gary has been asked to appear as the Hollywood heart-throb at functions across the globe.
Among the highlights was a trip to Las Vegas, where Gary was given a bonus of spending two days splashing out on an executive credit card, in return for two minutes’ work.
He has also made numerous TV appearances, featured in music videos, opened nightclubs and played cameo roles in films.
But perhaps the strangest request came in the form of the indecent proposal around six years ago.
A London businessman initially offered Gary £5,000 to sleep with his wife for her 40th birthday.
Gary said: “When I asked why he would want me to do that he said ‘we have an open relationship, she’s mad about Clooney, and I can’t get him so I’m asking you’.
“When I turned him down, he upped his offer to £5,500. I ummed and ahhed about it. I was single at the time, so I wouldn’t have hurt anyone by doing it – but it just felt so wrong that I turned it down.”
