Inside Paul O’Grady’s 28-year marriage to wife Teresa Fernandes and his close relationship with daughter Sharon
NATIONAL treasure Paul O'Grady has died at the age of 67, leaving behind his devastated family.
The Lily Savage and Radio 2 star's death was announced this morning by his husband Andre Portasio, whom he married in 2017.
Before he met Andre, Paul had a complicated family life involving a "marriage of convenience" and a daughter with another woman.
Paul married Teresa Fernandes, a Portuguese national, to prevent her deportation in 1977.
The pair met at gay club Showplace in 1976 and were married for 28 years - before losing contact and divorcing in 2005.
Paul told the : "Teresa, I call her the lesbian Portuguese barmaid, was lovely. She looked like David Cassidy.
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"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.
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"I had no idea we were still married until my manager Brendan said: ‘If anything happened to you, everything would go to your wife. It’s like a real-life Corrie storyline."
Although his marriage to Teresa was childless, Paul had a daughter, Sharon, in 1974 with close friend Diane Jansen.
He later gave away Sharon at her wedding to childhood friend Philip Moseley.
Paul said: "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."
Paul also had a grandson, Abel, and a granddaughter, Halo.
He later found love with Brazilian ballet star Andre, whom he wed in 2017 at the Goring Hotel in London - 11 years after they began dating.
Fellow TV star Julian Clary inspired Paul to marry Andre, who was 25 years his junior.
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.
"You feel more committed. You have made a vow, you have to stick to it. But we still fight like cat and dog.
"Married life is the same as before. We have known each other so long. Nothing has changed, really.
"And it’s nice. I like saying I’m married – better than saying I’m a divorcee, which I was before."
It comes after Amanda Holden and Piers Morgan led the celebrity tributes to Paul.
Susanna Reid and Martin Lewis also presented an emotional segment celebrating Paul's life on Good Morning Britain.
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His death comes just days after his heartbreaking final post mourning the loss of his pet pig Tom Tom.
The tragic final picture of the TV legend shows him enjoying a drink at a bar with now-heartbroken fans.
