BOLTON comedian Peter Kay left the rich and famous behind at a celebrity bash on the night of his life - so he could help a charity.

Peter was delighted to be invited to perform on Sunday night's televised Royal Variety Performance in London alongside acts such as Boyzone and The Spice Girls.

But instead of staying to enjoy the after-show party with some of the biggest names in showbiz, he headed straight back to his roots to appear on stage in Manchester raising cash for the Omagh bomb victims.

The Palace, in Levenshulme, is the place where the lovable comedian - who has a strong Irish family background - first shot to fame by winning the City Life Comedy Award and he was booked to appear at their Christmas Comedy special.

His non-stop two and a half hour act had the packed house rocking and at the end they gave him a standing ovation.

Peter's efforts raised £720 for the bomb victims' fund.

"He has not let the fame and fortunes of his two year meteoric rise to fame go to his head," said Palace owner Lawrence Hennigan. "All he wanted was a plateful of scampi and chips and a pint of Pepsi cola."

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