Paul O’Grady’s secret wife Teresa Fernandes has broken her silence since the TV star passed away from a cardiac arrhythmia.
The late star passed away suddenly aged 67 on March 28, with many fans not being aware that he once had a wife.
Paul, who was openly gay, married his Portuguese ex-wife in 1977 to stop her from being “hassled”.
READ MORE: Paul O’Grady’s funeral date and details confirmed by husband after tragic death
She told the Daily Mail: “We probably enjoyed one of the longest marriages in showbiz!”
Teresa, 73, met the Blankety Blank host in a gay club where they both worked at the time and married him a year later so she could stop being “hassled” by her family.
(Image: Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
She told the publication: “Paul was a very special, close friend of mine, but we didn’t really love each other.
“I was lesbian and he was gay so the marriage would never have worked but we had a great time as friends and even though it was almost 50 years ago I have great memories.”
“Of course, I was sad when I heard Paul had died, he was always a good friend but I hadn’t seen him since the early 1980s.”
(Image: David Fisher/REX/Shutterstock)
She revealed that the pair lost contact in later years but only legally divorced in 2005.
Teresa explained that they just “drifted apart” around the time he shot to fame.
She also added that she didn’t go to the funeral as it was “too far” for her to travel.
Teresa also admitted that the marriage was never consummated and only went ahead to “keep her mother happy”.
(Image: ITV/RICHARD LEA-HAIR/REX/Shutterstock)
Paul once admitted had forgotten all about marrying the barmaid until his manager Brendan reminded him of his nuptials.
His manager told him: “If anything happened to you, everything would go to your wife. It’s like a real-life Corrie storyline.”
Paul later married Brazilian ballet dancer Andre Portasio in 2017, who was 25 years younger than the star.
The couple met at a London-based gay club called Showplace.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
