“AS I stand on this stage today, I am the happiest I have been in my life”, Daniel O'Reilly told an applauding audience in Bournemouth.
A very serious moment for someone who spent the last hour joking about relationships, parenthood, drugs and his life as a ‘sesh gremlin’.
But it showed how Daniel, better known as Dapper Laughs, has come a long way from the controversial ‘character’ who got cancelled 10 years back.
The comedian first found popularity through his social media content, posting videos on Facebook and Vine - which were very different from that of other star vloggers.
He still boasts one of the most loyal and fastest growing social media followings, with his regular postings on Tik Tok picking up hundreds of thousands of views.
And his Bournemouth fans were able to see him live in the flesh, as he took his latest tour, ‘Daniel O'Reilly: Out of Character’, to the Pavilion on Friday night, November 8.
After dancing his way on stage, Daniel went head first into an energetic and humorous stand-up set, leaving the audience with very little time to catch breath from laughter.
There were no flat spots or dud sketches, just a lot of funny content which made people laugh.
Of course, he brought out the crude jokes, and brutally mocked pretty much any crowd member who was in his eyeline.
In fact, much of the content was too inappropriate to include in this review. But his fans would've known exactly what to expect when booking their tickets.
Daniel also very honestly addressed the highly publicised mistakes he had made during his career, and touched on everything from losing it all, to battling addiction and being banned from venues across the country.
And after talking about his very real struggles with suicidal thoughts, and giving a powerful talk on mental health, he had earned the respect of everyone in the room.
There were shouts of support from the audience, with one woman calling out, “We’re proud of you Dan."
Don’t get me wrong, I haven’t always supported the career choices of ‘Dapper Laughs’, but the man who stood on stage at the Pavilion was a man who had really made an effort to turn his life around.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here