Pop sensation George Michael was no stranger to controversy and scandal during his three decades in the public eye. Now, Kenny Goss, 64, who dated the star for 13 years, opened up about one of George’s most infamous moments: his 1998 arrest.
Speaking to Radio Times for the magazine’s cover story looking at the life and times of the late singer, Kenny recalled the very moment he got the devastating call about George’s arrest.
Just hours earlier the couple had been having lunch together at a restaurant called Cynthia’s, their “favourite place”.
Kenny noted that during lunch George had a bottle of wine before the pair went their separate ways for the day.
When the businessman returned home on that April afternoon, he got the call informing him that George had been arrested for lewd conduct.
The singer had reportedly exposed himself to a police officer in a public toilet at a Beverly Hills park.
Kenny rushed to the police station to find out just how much it would take to pay for George’s bail.
However, as most banks were closed, the businessman found himself running around town to get the full sum from multiple different cash machines.
Kenny shared: “I got George out, but he didn’t want to talk about it.
“We had to stop by the park to get his car, then we drove home.
“I wasn’t bugging him, but he told me an hour or so later.
“It did come as a surprise to me, but I didn’t get upset with him. He seemed very stressed out.”
The Independent reported that the star received a £500 fine and 80 hours of community service as punishment, but the real scolding came from global media as they swarmed George’s house and plastered the singer across headlines.
However, Kenny revealed that after spending the first 24 hours reassuring a “stressed out” George, the singer was determined to take control of the narrative.
The businessman highlighted that George wanted to put himself in the public eye to prove to fans that he was okay, and demanded he and Kenny go out to dinner in order to do so.
After a lavish dinner at an upmarket Los Angeles restaurant, George took part in a slew of interviews, the first of which would become an almost instant sensation across the globe.
Speaking to CNN anchorman Jim Moret, George admitted his sexuality and revealed his relationship with Kenny to the public.
Kenny recalled that when the news broke, his father tried to buy all of the local People magazine issues to hide the story in their small country town.
While the incident made George “more strong-minded” according to his former partner, it also caused some distress for Kenny for the next 13 years of their relationship.
He explained: “From the moment he was arrested, when he wasn’t with me, there was always a little bit of me, thinking, is he going to be OK?
“I was always worried about what might happen, that he might get into trouble again.”
The latest issue of Radio Times magazine is now available to purchase.
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