Entertainer Michael Barrymore has revealed he wants to adopt a child with his gay partner.

The popular presenter's admission came in a television interview in which he described how "coming out" had changed his life for the better.

"When the circumstances are right, yes I would adopt," he said. "The child would be loved, it would be given all the opportunities it would not have normally had."

Mr Barrymore, 46, and his partner Shaun Davis have been together for 18 months, since the break-up of his marriage and his admission that he is homosexual.

The comic, famed for his distinctive presenting style on hits shows including Strike It Lucky and My Kind Of People, had no children with his former wife Cheryl.

Big difference

Speaking on Friday's OK!TV on ITV, the entertainer explained how his new relationship had changed him.

"It has made a big difference to my life," he said. "Obviously, such a thing happening late in my life it was a bit strange and frightening to start off with."

His adoption plans come a few days after two gay men became the first British men to be registered as the two parents on a birth certificate, following a ruling by a US Supreme Court judge.

Gay partners Barrie Drewitt and Tony Barlow had two children born to a surrogate mother in the US.

But they are facing a legal battle to register the twins as British citizens.