I grew up in a council house on one of Manchester’s toughest streets… now I host £500k parties, anyone can do it

HOW did you celebrate your 30th party? 

Drinks with mates? Maybe a spa? Or even a special trip away?

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Well, Barrie Drewitt-Barlow turned his back on all that when he organised husband Scott’s big 3-0.

Instead he marked the special day with a £500k big Las Vegas-themed bash at their shared £6m home in Tampa, Florida.

Dad-of-eight Barrie, from Manchester, was forced to pull out the stops at the last minute when Scott - who is his daughter Saffron’s ex - suddenly got sick.

It meant their actual trip to Sin City was cancelled.

“But it was brilliant,” said Barrie in an exclusive interview with Fabulous.

“Scott’s favourite city is Las Vegas and so we invited 50 of our closest friends and gave them all £5k to play with.

“He couldn’t go to Vegas so I bought Vegas to him.”

Barrie, who has two children with Scott, Valentina, three, and Romeo, two, described how 50 of their closest friends and family flew into their £6m mansion. 

“Each guest was given a party bag as they entered, which is normally given at the end of the night, but these bags held £5k to play with.”

And how did they react?

“They were gobsmacked,” he said.

“But I love giving to my family!” 

“Barrie, who made his money with ex husband Tony in a trans-Atlantic surrogacy business and a global medical research company, attributes this to his difficult upbringing.

“I grew up on one of the toughest streets in Manchester where prospects are not that good for kids.

“And if I can do it, anyone can.

“My family means everything to me and I want to spoil them anyway I can. 

“Some people hate that I do it but I really couldn’t care less, I’m only doing what anyone else would do if they could.”

The party didn’t stop with blackjack and roulette tables and eye-watering goody bags.

“There was £250k prize money and a Audi R8 to win,” he said.

Unsurprisingly “everyone had a great time.”

“With booze and food and security you’re talking half a million for one night… an incredible 30th for the man of my dreams.”

And he said he didn’t care if he was trolled.

“My family means everything to me and I want to spoil them anyway I can.

''Some people hate that I do it but I really couldn’t care less, I’m only doing what anyone else would do if they could.”