Britain’s ‘first gay dads’ announce split as one reveals he’s dating daughter’s ex-boyfriend
Barrie and Tony Drewitt-Barlow have called time on their 32-year relationship.
By Will Stroude
Britain’s ‘first gay dads’ have announced they plan to divorce after 32 years together – with one half of the couple revealing he is in a relationship with his daughter’s ex-boyfriend.
Barrie and Tony Drewitt-Barlow shot to international fame in 1999 when they welcomed twins Saffron and Aspen via a surrogate, later winning the legal right to be named as parents on a birth certificate, in a landmark ruling for LGBTQ parenting.
The couple later up their own transatlantic surrogacy company, welcoming another son Orlando, in 2003 and twins Jasper and Dallas in 2010.
Now, the Drewitt-Barlows have called time on their relationship, with Barrie, 50, revealing he has fallen “head over heels” for his daughter Saffron’s ex-boyfriend, 25-year-old Scott Hutchison.
In an exclusive interview with The Sun, Barrie shed more light on the amicable split, revealing that the entire family – including Scott – are currently all living together at thecouple’s $6 million home in Florida.
“I’ve fallen in love with Scott and he has done the same”, he said. “I feel stupid at my age to have these feelings about someone other than Tony and half my age. But when you know something is right, it’s right. We have not made definite plans but I would like to marry Scott.
Barrie, who admitted his relationship with Tony had become “platonic” over the last few years, went on: “I’m not having a mid-life crisis — if I was having one I’d buy myself a Porsche 911.
“This is the real deal. But not everyone will get it, as our living arrangements are unorthodox — I feel like I’m living in a commune, we are all still living together.
“Our children are still in a stable set-up, more so than many other families have. But now Dad’s got a new fella and we are one bigger happy family instead.”
Scott, who is bisexual, had previously dated Barrie and Tony’s daughter Saffron, 20, but Barrie says relationship was never sexual and the pair were more like “friends”.
“Saffron and Scott had been split for many months and this was something totally unexpected. Saffron and Scott were always just friends — their relationship was puppy love,” he explained.
View this post on Instagram
“They never had a sexual relationship as she was so young. Scott had made no secret of being bisexual which was why their physical relationship never developed.”
Barrie added that after some intial hesitation, Saffron is now “so supportive” of his relationship with Scott – as is his soon-to-be ex-busband.
“We all sat round the table at home and I told her”, Barrie says. “Of course she was annoyed at first but Tony said: ‘This is a good idea. You can see how Scott is with Daddy, he likes him.’ There were no rows. We just talked as adults.
“Saffron sees how happy we are and she has accepted it.”