Dad who climbs roof of The O2 for work met Billie Eilish and Craig David and lit venue pink for his baby’s gender reveal

A father whose work involves climbing the roof of The O2, where he has met celebrities such as Billie Eilish, Kevin Hart and Craig David, has said one of the best moments was lighting the venue pink for his baby’s gender reveal.

Barry Rutley, 46, who lives in Bexley, London, with his wife Jane and six-month-old daughter Aurora, is the senior operations manager at Up at The O2 and has been climbing the roof for nearly a decade.

Through his work, he has met several celebrities, witnessed proposals on the roof, with someone even dropping their engagement ring, and he was “lucky” to see the venue illuminated pink for Aurora’s gender reveal last year.

He has met the Sugababes, Ed Balls who joined double-amputee Tony Hudgell, singers Olly Murs, Anne-Marie and Craig David, boxers Derek Chisora and Joe Joyce, and The Inbetweeners star Simon Bird.

Speaking about his baby’s gender reveal, Barry told PA Real Life: “We’d got the results on the day and I was dying to know.

“I gave the results to one of my team and said, ‘Right, look at it but don’t tell me what it is. I’m going to go and stand over there with the radio and, when I say push the button, change the lights’.

“Now, ironically, if it had been a boy, it would have been blue, but The O2 is already blue.

“So, we were waiting and I was sure it was going to be a boy… and then this pink glow just lit up the sky and I found out I was about to be the father to a little girl and I lost my mind.”

Barry explained that his vocation, originally, was to become an actor and he moved to London from the south coast to pursue this dream in his 20s.

After soon realising that “everyone else in London” wanted to become an actor, he went into theatre management instead, working in the West End for several years.

“I love theatre, I love stage, I love all the magical lights, but I worked every Christmas, I worked every evening, I worked every weekend,” he explained.

“And although my love and my passion was for the stage, I was leaving behind myself.”

Around nine years ago, an opportunity arose for Barry to join AEG, which owns and operates The O2, and he has not looked back since.

Starting off as a guest experience manager, he has progressed to his current role, where he now oversees all the operations of the attraction, and he described his job as “fantastic”.

“The favourite aspect of the job is you still get to have some creativity,” he said.

“You still work within that environment where there’s entertainment, there’s buzz, there’s tourism, so everything I’ve always loved.

“I come into contact with people from all over the world, of all different cultures, and I see all the different skills they bring.

“Also, I get a lot of perks – I get to meet the artists and I’m that person who gets that intimate moment with them, away from the cameras and the press, and we just chat as two people.”

As part of Barry’s role, he supports, oversees and takes part in the Up at The O2 climbs, where participants experience a 90-minute roof walk, at 52 metres high, with 360-degree views of the city.

This is how Barry has met celebrities including Billie Eilish, who approached the team and asked if she could do the climb with radio presenter Greg James.

“Normally, when artists come along, there is a curtain they put up against themselves, so they don’t let you in,” Barry said.

“But Billie opened up freely and talked about things you wouldn’t normally hear.

“We joked, we chatted, and I made it to her Instagram and her TikTok, which is always a winner.”

Another memorable celebrity encounter for Barry was meeting Usher’s wife Jennifer, as the singer-songwriter was doing a residency at The O2.

After discussing his baby’s imminent arrival with Jennifer at the time, Barry had the grand idea to do a gender reveal at The O2, which illuminated the venue pink for the first – and most likely the only – time.

When Barry and his wife found out they were pregnant, he said he was incredibly “excited and full of emotions”, particularly as he did not know if he would ever become a father.

He said his daughter has “changed (his) life” and the image of The O2 being illuminated now sits proudly in Aurora’s bedroom.

He said: “It was the first time it’s ever happened, and it will probably be the last time it ever happens.

“It meant so much that the venue had allowed me to do something so unique and so powerful for me.

“So, to change the colour of The O2, just for my daughter… she’ll be able to say, ‘My daddy turned The O2 pink for me when I was born’, and it’s an amazing feeling.”

Barry said the climbs take place in “all weather conditions” and the team have “fun activations” for the seasons or themed events, such as adding a snow globe, having silent discos and speed dating on the roof.

He has also witnessed several proposals on the roof, with two people even saying no, but he said one moment stands out in particular.

“We had one where the man had turned up, dressed so well, and his fiancee-to-be was so oblivious, but the man was literally sweating, drenched in sweat, on such a cold day,” Barry explained.

“We got him on the roof, and he’s brought out the ring, and then he’s shaking so much he’s dropped the ring through the grate, and it was, ‘Oh no, I don’t believe this’.

“Everyone’s obviously watching and, luckily, we were able to retrieve it with some string and a magnet, but that was a real momentous occasion.”

Barry said he loves “making a difference” and he feels “lucky” that his role enables him to create amazing memories for himself and others.

His ultimate dream is to complete a climb with Kylie Minogue, who he has met previously, or Ed Sheeran, but he said there will be many exciting events for The O2’s 20th anniversary next year.

“With The O2 walk, there’s freedom, you can be yourself, you can say what you want to say, or even have a drink at the top,” he said.

“It’s nice when people feel that this is an escapism for them, and that’s what we want it to be for everyone.”

To find out more, visit upattheo2.co.uk.