Freddie Starr, whose death was announced yesterday, was a singer and comedian but probably best known for the iconic newspaper headline 'Freddie Starr ate my hamster'.
The Sun ran the infamous headline in 1986, claiming he had put a hamster between two slices of bread and eaten it after a gig.
The claim followed Starr for the rest of his life despite his denials.
Following his death on Thursday, the truth has been revealed by photographer Steve Lewis who took a picture of Freddie for a follow up interview about the claims.
Comedian and I'm A Celebrity Freddie Starr has died aged 76
He told Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford on This Morning that he spoke to him the day after the famous headline.
"Freddie Starr offered to collect us in his helicopter because he was learning to fly, which was worrying in itself," explained Steve. "He came to Battersea heliport with his co-pilot, and we had already gone off to the pet shop and got our hamster, so we arrived there with our little cage.
"Off we went to his home in Maidenhead."
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When asked if he thought Freddie had actually eaten the hamster, Steve said: "It is such a good headline, it would be a shame to spoil the story, but I don't think he did.
"I think it was a publicity stunt which made a good headline."
He confirmed that the hamster they had brought had been taken back to the pet shop safely.
Steve added: "He was hilarious about the headline. He didn't tell us at the time whether the story was true or not, so we had to work on the assumption that it had happened. He was a very, very funny man and he didn't stop being funny."
Married four times and father to six children, Starr's life was full of ups and downs.
His later years were marred by allegations of historic sexual assault and a bitter and ultimately unsuccessful defamation lawsuit that cost him a rumoured £1 million.
The Liverpudlian started out singing with a local pop group before moving into comedy. He made his comedy debut on TV talent show Opportunity Knocks.
