British comedian Johnny Vegas has revealed that he considered becoming a priest earlier in his life but left seminary after “horrible stuff” occurred there.
Subsequently, he forged his comedic persona as a “defence mechanism” against those bad experiences.
Speaking to The Times in an interview, the popular comedian known for his larger-than-life personality, including a thick Lancashire accent, husky voice and alternative style of humour, described that he was “raised in the Catholic Church and decided to become a priest at one point, but I saw too much horrible stuff at the seminary”.
He goes on to explain: “That’s where I became Johnny Vegas, my defence mechanism.”
He adds: “I have a dialogue with God at the end of the day. I can’t completely write off the idea of God – in whatever form God exists.
"We’ve got our own honest relationship, thank you very much.”
Vegas was born Michael Pennington, 5 September 1970, in St Helens, a large town in Merseyside, an area of North West England that has a strong link to Roman Catholicism, dating back to the Lords of Sutton Manor, the De Holland family, in 1321.
Vegas studied ceramics before his comedy career kicked off in 2001 largely through TV adverts he did for PG Tips, the tea maker, in which he appeared alongside a talking knitted doll known as Monkey, reports The Times.
Vegas has also appeared in TV comedies and dramas, including Shooting Stars, Bleak House and Benidorm. Married and divorced twice, with two sons, he still lives in St Helens.
Photo: Comedian Johnny Vegas leaves Liverpool Anglican Cathedral after the funeral of comedian Sir Ken Dodd, Liverpool, England, 28 March 2018. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images.)
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