MOST folk dream of rubbing shoulders with stars like Alan Shearer and Robbie Williams, but this man literally gets his hands all over them.
Qualified massage therapist Barrie Graham’s tender touch has relaxed the muscles of a host of famous stars.
His long list of celebrity clientele includes pop star Robbie Williams, Mamma Mia actor Dominic Cooper, Northern comedian Paddy McGuiness, actor Ralf Little and X Factor star Olly Murs.
Barrie, from Ponteland, Northumberland, put his years of massaging experience to good use on the stars after scooping the job as massage therapist at the Soccer Aid charity football match earlier this month.
The 31-year-old said: “I got the call and they asked if I was able to do it, and I wanted to get involved because it was football and for a good cause.”
But despite working with a host of famous stars from the music, TV and sporting world, the 31-year-old wasn’t fazed by the celebrities at the tip of his fingers. He said: “It didn’t really bother me because I’ve worked with some big-named people before.”
Barrie was on hand at the match at Old Trafford, Manchester, to ease the pains and strains of the England team, with every member getting a rub down from him, and he had nothing but praise for the squad, particularly pop star, and England team captain, Robbie Williams.
He said: “He was such a nice guy, really down to earth and very warm. They were all lovely.”
The former Ponteland High School student is no stranger to celebrity skin as he was the personal masseur to ice-skating legends Torvill and Dean in April this year.
When the Dancing on Ice live show came to Newcastle Arena for a three-day stint, Barrie was booked to loosen up the Olympic heroes before they took to the ice.
Back in 2006 he was also the team masseur on Sky One’s The Match which, much like Soccer Aid, saw a team of famous faces take on footballing legends.
The likes of musician MC Harvey, Coronation Street actor Danny Young and Big Brother six winner Anthony Hutton, originally from Consett, all benefited from Barrie’s massages.
Barrie has worked as a sports masseur throughout his career doing two seasons with Newcastle United, before moving on to his current position as team masseur with the Newcastle Falcons.
As well as celebrities Barrie, who studied sports massage therapy at Sunderland University, has made a name for himself among the sporting world and counts Alan Shearer as a friend.
The Toon and England legend was one of the many football stars also taking part in Soccer Aid, and he took Barrie under his wing at the match.
Barrie said: “I know him quite well and he introduced me to people. He looked after me, it was a bit of an ice breaker.”
In between all the massages, Barrie still found time to enjoy the day and watched the match alongside Shearer and Teddy Sheringham, but much to the disappointment of the Newcastle United supporter his healing hands weren’t enough to lead the celebrity team to victory.
The Rest of the World squad beat England on penalties after a 2-2 draw. Barrie said: “It was a really good day apart from getting beat.”
Source: ChronicleLive
