Inside Paul O’Grady’s incredible life – his ‘forgotten’ wife’, unusual pre-fame job and a creepy serial killer run-in
HIS character Lily Savage was larger than life but Paul O'Grady led a rather eccentric existence too - even describing it as a 'real-life Corrie plot'.
The TV host and comic passed away aged 67 "unexpectedly but peacefully” on Tuesday, according to his husband of six years Andre Portasio.
Celebrity friends including Amanda Holden, Lorraine Kelly and Piers Morgan have today - as well as .
And Paul O'Grady certainly packed in a lot into his life - from a 28-year 'marriage of convenience' he forgot about to a chilling encounter with a serial killer.
Paul's toughest week
Paul was born in Tranmere to working class parents Patrick O’Grady and Molly Savage, who put him through staunchly Catholic schools.
After leaving school he began to question his sexuality and worked shifts in a local gay bar.
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He began sleeping with his close friend Diane Jensen , who was nine years his senior.
He wrote in his 2008 autobiography At My Mother's Knee... And Other Low Joints: “I kept my gay side from her at first, reluctant to come out to her, though things might have turned out less complicated later on if I’d been honest about my sexuality in the first place.
“The fact was I was unsure of what my true sexuality was, still experimenting with both sexes, unable to make up my mind which bus to get on.”
He had kept any inklings of being gay from his parents - and at age 17 his mother and father both had heart attacks in the same week.
While Molly recovered, his father passed away, and in the same week Diane broke the news she was pregnant.
He recalled her breaking the news: “‘Paul?’ It was Diane. ‘How are you?’ ‘Well, me dad’s dead and me mother’s at death’s door. Things couldn’t get worse, really.’ I could hear her sobbing at the other end of the line.
‘Oh, God, they could and they have,’ she said, catching her breath. ‘What do you mean?’ ‘I’m pregnant. You’re going to be a father.’”
His only daughter Sharon was born in 1974 and Paul committed to paying £3 a week in child maintenance.
But she dreaded returning to her staunch Catholic parents in Portugal.
He wrote: “Theresa’s work permit was about to expire and she was dreading having to return to Portugal and face the numerous suitors that her mother, unaware of her daughter’s true sexuality, had lined up as possible husband material.”
He popped the question and they got married.
Paul then started working for Camden Social Services - and became inspired by a woman called Rita whose children he had looked after.
Inspired by slovenly and promiscuous Rita, he then began performing as Lily Savage at the Black Cap in Camden, according to his 2010 autobiography.
After his first performance, a drag act called Regina told him to get a better name.
“‘If you’re considering getting an act together I’d drop the name," he was told. "Lily Savage is all right for a bit of camp but no one is going to take an act that sounds like an old scrubber seriously, dahling.’”
But despite nay-sayers, Paul soon rose to fame through his act, working as a compere and eventually fronting his own shows.
As a big name on the circuit he befriended celebrities like US drag performer Divine and Ian Mackellen.
In the mid-Eighties, he met gay sauna manager Brendan “Murph” Murphy who became his boyfriend and manager.
With Brendan’s help, Paul’s first TV role was on the Bill but his major breakthrough was replacing Paula Yates on The Big Breakfast.
This was followed by The Lily Savage show and a £1million two-year deal to host Blankety Blank in 1998.
Meteoric rise to fame
By 2002 he started presenting travel shows. He battled a bout of depression then suffered a heart attack.
"All the money in the world couldn't make anything work faster. I hate to say it but we couldn't even get him a bottle to p*** in.''
He later repaid the favour by starring as a cancer patient in three episodes of the medical soap.
He added: “Murph and I were like brothers - joined at the hip, thick as thieves.
"It transcended any sexual relationship we'd had. This was a partnership. A double act, Emma Peel and Steed, Laurel and Hardy.”
In 2012, he began fronting Battersea Dog and Cat home docuseries For The Love Of Dogs.
Filming was only meant to be for six days but Paul stayed on as a volunteer for six months.
In 2017, he married his partner of 15 years, former English National Ballet star Andre Portasio, at the Goring Hotel in Central London on insistence of his mate .
Paul said: “Julian put the seed in my head. He said, ‘I’ve got married. You should’.
"And he’s right, then you protect your partner. If anything happens to me, he is protected. It makes sense.”