Paul O’Grady – also known by his drag queen persona Lily Savage – has been a telly fan favourite since he made his TV debut back in the late 80s.
As well as hosting a variety of his own programmes, Paul endeared the nation to him when he launched For the Love of Dogs in 2012, which sees pooches from Battersea Dogs’ Home matched up with loving forever families.
A keen dog lover himself, Paul can barely resist taking the pups to his Kent-based home to rescue them himself. And, at his Aldington home, the star lives with an array of dogs and even farmyard animals – as well as his rather secret hubby.
But what about Paul’s life off-screen? Daily Star takes a peek.
Secret husband
Paul, 66, has been married to husband Andre Portasio since 2017 – and the pair initially met and became friends at a London-based gay club called Showplace.
Andre used to be a member of the English National Ballet and featured in shows including Swan Lake and The Nutcracker.
Their stunning wedding ceremony took place at the Goring Hotel in London, with guests congregating on a private lawn for a champagne and canapé reception – attended by stars including Ian McKellen and Julian Clary.
And despite being loved-up, the couple usually live separately – but moved in together to be closer during the Covid-19 lockdowns. However, as Paul isn’t keen on sharing a bed, the pair have separate bedrooms and bathrooms.
And it looks like the 25-year age gap between the pair has never been an issue, with Andre recently entering his 40s while Paul turns 67 in June.
Marriage of convenience
Before tying the knot with his now-hubby, Paul entered a marriage of convenience with a Portuguese model he met at a gay club.
Teresa Fernandes was a lesbian while Paul is gay, so the pair decided to marry out of convenience to prevent Terese from being deported, and the two tied the knot back in 1977.
The pair only legally divorced in 2005 after being married for 28 years – but Paul admitted he was never in a relationship with her.
Paul admitted of the marriage: “Teresa, I call her the lesbian Portuguese barmaid, was lovely. She looked like David Cassidy.
“We worked in a club in Westbourne Grove, London, when I was 22. She was from a very strict Catholic family and was always being hassled by them: ‘Why aren’t you getting married?’ So I said: ‘Come on then, we’ll get married’, and we did.
“We were married for 28 years.”
Paul even admitted to forgetting he was married, with his manager having to remind him!
Teenage dad
Paul became a dad back in 1974 when he was just 18, welcoming his daughter Sharon with his friend Diane Jansen.
The star now has two grandchildren and remains close to his only daughter. He went on to give Sharon away at her wedding to Philip Moseley, and shared: “It was a really great day. Sharon looked fabulous and Philip is a smashing fella. They fit together like a pan and a lid.
“Sharon wore a lovely floaty pale pink dress – because she looks shocking in white. She looked like a Disney princess."
Strictly star neighbour
Among Paul’s famous pals – which included the late Dame Barbara Windsor and Liverpudlian songstress Cilla Black – is Julian Clary, who actually lives rather close to Paul.
Julian, who has made plenty of guest appearances on Strictly Come Dancing, lives at the 17th-century Goldenhurst Farm in Aldington, close to where Paul lives, for more than 10 years. In another lifetime, the stunning property was owned by playwright Noel Coward.
Paul actually helped him find a place to settle down in Kent, saying of his pal: “I've known Julian for years… 35 years!
"What he comes out with about me is shocking – he said when I have a party the police won't come when my sister is here unless they have tasers."
Health issues
Paul suffered heartbreaking tragedy in his life – and, by the time he was 33 years old, both his parents had sadly died.
And Paul has opened up in the past about his own health worries, having suffered three heart attacks in his lifetime as well as kidney failure.
He was filming a programme in Delhi when he had a “near-fatal collapse” brought on by kidney failure.
Brought on by his party lifestyle – and smoking 40 cigarettes a day – Paul suffered cardiac arrests in 2002, 2006 and 2014, and decided to change his ways.
He has previously referred to himself as a “timebomb”, explaining: “I’m a timebomb — a human version of the Titanic, forever dodging icebergs.”
He added: “I used to think I was invincible but now I’m running out of lives. I’m not scared of death at all… It’s the way you die that worries me — that’s the fear.”
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