Christopher is looking a bit grey

The multi-hued faced of CorelDRAWX3 is looking a bit 'peaky'?

Sad news reaches us this evening in advance of the CorelDRAWX3 press event.

Over in the ‘States, Carlos the Chameleon is the public face of CorelDRAWX3 and the press are all at London Zoo right now to meet his UK cousin, Christopher the Chameleon… but sadly Christopher passed away yesterday after a valiant battle against the evils of a celebrity lifestyle.

Through his short life, Christopher had maintained a leading role in the computer technology limelight, first with his modelling contract for the NVIDIA tech demo, then breaking into several TV roles, notably several small roles in Rolf Harris’ Pet Hospital and then breaking into Hollywood starring alongside Eddie Murphy in Doctor Doolittle 2.

But fame has it’s vices and Chris C, as he liked to be known, suffered from their tragic pull. In an interview with What Colour? Magazine he once said:

”It’s a slippery slope… they make it so easy for you. I mean, one day there you are, concerned only with whether your semi-prehensile tongue is going to reach that next grub and before you know it you’re being laser scanned for tech demos and asked to pose for photographs. They make it so easy for you, you know… it starts of simple enough, an ant here or there, nothing much, then before you know it you’re onto fire ants for the buzz, crickets for the bigger buzz and then they get you hooked on mealy grubs…”

Christopher was one of the Priory’s more successful clients, only paying a visit there once to cure his addictions and sort out his pigment problems as well as a progressively worsening stigmata in his right eye. After this Christopher returned to humbler and less hectic UK television, most recently with an appearance for Capital One credit cards as the baddie in their latest commercial as well as being the public face for CorelDRAWX3 in the UK.

Christopher’s death yesterday has thrown a shadow over what would have undoubtedly been a great launch, especially if Christopher had performed the planned piano duet session with Manny the Monitor Lizard, an act that has been likened to Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin at their peak in Vegas. While the cause of death has yet to be confirmed, we know that already Corel are looking to Carlos back in the US to prop up the UK advertising department whilst a replacement is found. Rumours that Corel were planning to spray a Gecko green and pass him off a Christopher have proved unfounded.