The late, great Paul O’Grady led a surprising personal life that saw him enter fatherhood not long after tragically losing his own dad.
The comedian and TV presenter, who sadly passed away “unexpectedly but peacefully” on Tuesday evening (March 28), rose to fame in the 1990s with his drag queen persona Lily Savage.
He was well known for his television work, hosting much-loved shows like ITV’s For The Love Of Dogs and Blankety Blank.
READ MORE: Paul O’Grady’s touching last post ‘mourning’ the loss of pet days before his death at 67
Outside of his entertainment work, Paul ran a farm in Ashford, where he lived with his partner, Andre Portasio, with a number of dogs and farm animals.
(Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images)
He tied the knot with Andre, who was 25 years his junior in 2017, but this wasn’t his first marriage.
Paul was married to a Portuguese model called Teresa Fernandes from 1977 until 2005, and despite a 28-year marriage, he later revealed that the pair weren’t actually in a relationship for the duration of that time.
The marriage was in fact one of “convenience” as Teresa was a lesbian and the pair had tied the knot to prevent her deportation, but afterward, they lost contact and only legally divorced in 2005.
(Image: PA)
Speaking about the marriage, Paul said: “Teresa, I call her the lesbian Portuguese barmaid, was lovely. She looked like David Cassidy.
“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’”
Before marrying Teresa, Paul became a father in 1974 when he was just 18, after conceiving a child with his friend Diane Jansen.
(Image: Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
In the same week, both of his parents suffered from heart attacks and while his mother survived, his father sadly passed away.
Sharon Lee Jansen, Paul’s daughter was born in May 1974 and the comedian agreed to pay for her upkeep but ultimately refused to marry her mother, Diane, as he was gay.
He had previously been keeping his sexuality a secret from his parents and it wasn’t until 1988 that he revealed his drag persona, Lily Savage to his mum on her deathbed.
“I went to see her at the undertaker’s and told her about Lily Savage, the character I’d created on the London cabaret circuit, and what I’d been up to in the past few years, as I should have done when I’d had the opportunity,” he wrote in 2012 in the Daily Mail.
Paul went on to have a happy and healthy relationship with Sharon, but admitted that they “argue a lot” and joked that she “has a mouth on her”.
He said that at the time of her birth, he “just wasn’t equipped” to look after her and likened himself to a little boy at the time.
(Image: PA)
He gave Sharon away at her wedding to her childhood sweetheart Phillip Moseley, who Paul said was a “smashing fella”.
“It was a really great day. Sharon looked fabulous and Philip is a smashing fella. They fit together like a pan and a lid,” he said at the time.
“Sharon wore a lovely floaty pale pink dress – because she looks shocking in white. She looked like a Disney princess.”
(Image: paulogrady/Instagram)
Through the pair, he has two grandchildren, Abel and Halo, who sweetly called Paul “Gan-Gan”, much like Prince George’s nickname for the Queen.
In 2021, he revealed that he hadn’t seen them for two years because of the UK lockdowns amid the Covid pandemic.
“I hadn’t seen them for nearly two years because of Covid. Then this big strapping 14-year-old boy comes in with a voice down there, followed by a slinky 11-year-old. You think, who are these huge monsters?”
He told the Daily Mail: “I do feel very close to them, and I get very badly behaved with them – so much so that the adults tell me off.”
For more of the latest showbiz news from Daily Star, make sure you sign up to one of our newsletters here.
READ NEXT:
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
