Paul O'Grady: The Biography

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He married a gorgeous man and I think that is what saved him from descending into life as a rogue,” Biggins told The Sun on Sunday. He began dating O’Grady in 2006, but the idea of marriage only came to him after a chat with Julian Clary. Paul was also granddad to Sharon’s two children, son Abel, who was born in 2006, and daughter Halo, born in 2009. Throughout his career he was famously outspoken about the neglect of care workers, austerity and the Tory party: he made headlines when he said he wanted to see David Cameron and George Osborne’s “heads on spikes on Tower Bridge” over austerity cuts, and revealed that he quit his talkshow because celebrities were so dull they were like “relatives you felt obliged to visit”.

During the first series of For the Love of Dogs, O’Grady took home Eddie, a Chihuahua Jack Russell-cross puppy. O’Grady wrote a four-volume memoir and in 2008 he was awarded an MBE for his services to entertainment. Tributes poured in for O’Grady in the days following his death, including from Queen Camilla, who worked closely with him in their support of Battersea Dogs and Cats Home. A statement by Portasio said: “It is with great sadness that I inform you that Paul has passed away unexpectedly but peacefully yesterday evening.He added: “[Paul] will be greatly missed by his loved ones, friends, family, animals and all those who enjoyed his humour, wit and compassion. The couple were wed in 1977, O’Grady later saying that he married her to prevent her from being deported. His husband, Andre Portasio, confirmed in a statement that O’Grady died “unexpectedly but peacefully” on Tuesday evening. We ask, at this difficult time, that whilst you celebrate his life you also respect our privacy as we come to terms with this loss,” Portasio said in a statement.

Days ago, O’Grady had finished a stint playing Miss Hannigan in the musical Annie and was set to resume the role in performances around the UK and Ireland later this year. He will be greatly missed by his loved ones, friends, family, animals and all those who enjoyed his humour, wit and compassion. In his 2012 biography Still Standing, O’Grady said that his relationship with Portasio “just crept up on us”. She was from a very strict Catholic family and was always being hassled by them: “Why aren’t you getting married? He had been married to partner Andre Portasio since 2017, although the pair had been in a relationship since 2005.Many of those who turned out to watch the procession were accompanied by their beloved pet dogs in a touching tribute to the star. Paul O’Grady’s funeral recently took place in Bonnington, Kent, with mourners lining the streets in nearby Aldington – his adopted home of more than 20 years – to pay their respects. He later adopted Boycie, a shih-tzy in 2014; Conchita, a Maltese in 2015; Arfur, a mongrel puppy in 2017; Nancy, another mongrel puppy in 2020; and Sausage, a wire-haired dachshund in 2021. The Birkenhead-born comic will feature in a short film for the official opening of the Eurovision Song Contest, which is taking place in Liverpool, on behalf of Ukraine. Sharon was born in 1974 and had a close relationship with her dad, who even gave her away at her wedding to husband Philip Moseley.