Darryn Lyons facts for kids

Darryn Lyons (born 19 August 1965) is an Australian media personality, entrepreneur, and politician. He became well-known in Australia and the United Kingdom as a paparazzo. A paparazzo is a photographer who takes pictures of famous people, often without their permission. Darryn Lyons also served as the Mayor of Geelong from 2013 to 2016.

Early Life and Photography Passion

Darryn Lyons was born in Geelong, Victoria, Australia, on 19 August 1965. He grew up as the youngest of three children. His family lived in the suburbs of Herne Hill and later Leopold. His father was an architect and a choirmaster.

Lyons developed a strong interest in photography from a young age. He attended Geelong East Technical School. He often achieved the highest academic results in his school.

Starting a Photography Career

After finishing school, Lyons began working as a professional photographer. He took pictures for the Geelong News and Geelong Advertiser newspapers. When he was 22, he moved to London. There, he got a job at the News of the World newspaper. This happened after he met Rupert Murdoch by chance.

Two years later, he started working for the Daily Mail. For this newspaper, he covered important events like the Bosnian War.

Founding Big Pictures

In 1993, Lyons started his own picture company called Big Pictures. This company provided paparazzi-style photographs to news organizations. His wife, Melanie Lyons, and Kevin Anstey helped run the company. Darryn Lyons continued to work as a photographer for the Daily Mail.

In 1996, Darryn Lyons left the Daily Mail to work full-time at Big Pictures. He worked alongside Melanie Lyons.

Princess Diana Photos

In 1997, after the car crash involving Princess Diana, Big Pictures received photos from its agent in Paris. These photos showed Diana's final moments. Darryn Lyons still owns these pictures, but they have never been published. He has said he would never sell them. Lyons also gave evidence at the inquest (an official investigation) into Diana's death in 2007.

Challenges for Big Pictures

Big Pictures often faced legal challenges. These challenges were usually about invasion of privacy and harassment. Celebrities like Sienna Miller, Lily Allen, JK Rowling, Hugh Grant, and Elizabeth Hurley were involved in these cases.

The company also had a Mr Paparazzi website and a YouTube channel. These platforms featured celebrity news, photos, and videos from 2007 to 2013.

In 2012, Big Pictures faced financial difficulties. All staff members were made redundant, meaning they lost their jobs. Lyons later started a new company called Mr Paparazzi Celebrity Deals. He also became a shareholder in another firm. Big Pictures officially closed in 2013. In 2013, Lyons planned to launch a new online photo agency called Celebstock, but it did not happen.

Becoming a Media Personality

Darryn Lyons has often appeared on radio and television shows. He was on Sky News' Sunrise and LK Today. He also appeared on Australian radio shows like Kyle and Jackie O Show and Hughsey and Kate. He was a weekly commentator on ITV1's Alan Titchmarsh Show. Lyons has also written for the Geelong Advertiser newspaper and NW magazine.

Reality TV Appearances

In 2005, Lyons was one of the five investors on the Australian version of Dragons' Den. This was a reality television show where entrepreneurs pitched business ideas. The show lasted only one season due to low ratings.

In 2007, Lyons appeared on two British reality TV shows: Tycoon and Deadline. On Deadline, he worked as a picture editor and camera instructor. He also appeared on the British panel show Through the Keyhole.

In 2011, he was on the British Top Gear television show. He represented Australia in a fun double-decker car race.

He also became a housemate on Celebrity Big Brother in the UK. He entered the house in August 2011. During his time on the show, Lyons showed off his cosmetic "six-pack" abs. This caused a lot of media attention. He finished in sixth place on the show.

In 2012, Lyons was a contestant on the Australian show Excess Baggage. This show was moved to a different channel shortly after it started because of low ratings. Many people thought the contestants were the reason the show wasn't successful.

Serving as Mayor of Geelong

In 2013, Darryn Lyons announced he would run for mayor of the City of Greater Geelong. He campaigned very actively for the position. He even had a plane fly a banner across the sky over the city.

On 25 November 2013, Lyons was declared the winner of the election. He received almost 30 percent of the first votes. This was more than double the votes of the second-placed candidate. Lyons was sworn into office as Mayor of Geelong on 26 November 2013.

Mayor's Focus and Initiatives

As mayor, Lyons focused on promoting Geelong. He worked to create publicity and raise the city's profile. His goal was to attract more tourism and investment to the area.

Lyons supported building a cruise ship pier on the Geelong waterfront. He believed this would help the city's economy by bringing in more tourists. The pier would also include a convention center and a cultural center.

Other ideas Lyons introduced included improving the city center. He made street parking free on weekends. He also had plants placed in the streets to make the area look nicer.

End of Mayoral Term

On 16 April 2016, the Victorian Government removed Lyons and the rest of the Greater Geelong City Council. This happened after an official investigation found problems within the council. The investigation said the council had many conflicts and couldn't manage Geelong's economic challenges. It also found that leadership was not working well and there was a culture of bullying.

The government appointed administrators to run the council. They managed the council until new elections were held on 27 October 2017.

Lyons ran as an Independent candidate in the 2018 Victorian state election. However, he was not successful in that election.

Personal Life

Darryn Lyons lives in the Western Beach area of Geelong. He was formerly married to Melanie Whitehead. Lyons is friends with former Melbourne mayor Robert Doyle. Robert Doyle supported Lyons during his 2013 mayoral campaign.