Barry Chuckle's shock over death rumours

Barry Chuckle said many young fans were very upset by the rumours

One half of television comedy duo the Chuckle Brothers has told fans he is still alive and well after a rumour spread on Twitter that he had died.

Barry Chuckle, from Rotherham, whose real name is Barry Elliot, said it was the second time word of his alleged death had spread online.

"If it's on the internet people think it's gospel," he said.

Chuckle and his real-life brother Paul have worked as TV children's entertainers for more than 20 years.

'In tears'

Speaking about the death rumours, Chuckle said: "First of all I heard it about six or seven months ago and that was on Facebook.

"Somebody had put it up there, thinking it was funny, and apparently [it said] our Paul had died at some point as well.

"It went away and now it seems to have come back on Twitter for some reason."

The entertainer said he had created a Facebook page to confirm he was still alive but did not know how to correct the latest rumours as he does not use Twitter.

He added that the rumours had upset some of the Chuckle Brothers' young fans.

"They send letters saying, 'is Paul going to be working on his own now?', and 'we'll miss Barry', and there's kids in tears so we have to write back to them and tell them it's not true," he said.

A statement has also been posted on the Chuckle Brothers' official website, saying the rumour is "complete and utter rubbish" and that the entertainer is "doing very well".