Barrymore ..alone with his drink and his demons; EXCLUSIVE FALLEN STAR'S 11-HOUR BENDER.

Byline: BY STEWART MACLEAN

MICHAEL Barrymore staggers home after an amazing ELEVEN-HOUR solo booze marathon.

The troubled star, 56, who has battled alcoholism for years, fell off the wagon as he sat alone in a trendy bar supping jugs of potent cocktails.

He later stunned diners at a nearby restaurant by hurling food on the floor before lurching out at 1am without paying his pounds 8.95 bill.

One onlooker said: "He stank of booze, was slurring his words and seemed in a terrible state."

Barrymore's binge began around 2pm on Monday when he went to the swanky Westbourne House bar in Bayswater, London.

He had a quiet coffee with a male pal and appeared to be heading towards his home nearby before turning around and going back to the bar alone.

A source said: "At first he was drinking quite slowly and chatting to people who came by and recognised him. But by dinnertime he was out of control.

"He ordered a few more jugs of cocktails and some beers. We were worried about him because it was obvious all was not right. He was here from about 2pm until we closed around midnight. After that he paid the bill and disappeared. He left a decent tip, too."

Barrymore later wandered into the Sadaf Persian restaurant just a few doors away.

Owner Martin Matin said: "He ordered a curry and also asked for a bottle of beer, but he'd drunk so much already he didn't touch it.

"When we served him he threw the cutlery on the floor and started shovelling the food into his mouth with his hands, but halfway through he got up and left. I called out to him to pay the bill, but he didn't hear me. He'd totally lost the plot."

The Strike it Lucky star's career has slumped since the mysterious death of drugged-up partygoer Stuart Lubbock in his swimming pool in 2001.

A worried friend said last night: "He seemed to be doing well lately. Everyone hopes this is just a one-off."

Barrymore's agent said: "I have spoken to Michael but he is a little confused about what happened."

CAPTION(S):

TUESDAY 1AM WEST LONDON Pictures: XPOSUREPHOTOS.COM; BINGE Barrymore sits alone at bar as he guzzles cocktails; CONFUSED Boozy star in restaurant