Paul O’Grady reveals Reggie Kray had a crush on Lily Savage and sent dozens of love letters
BLIND Date host Paul O'Grady has revealed Reggie Kray had a crush on his drag persona Lily Savage and sent dozens of love letters.
The TV host, 63, claims the East London gangster started writing to him from jail in the 1990s and they had a "flirty" relationship.
But he didn't realise the bisexual hardman was actually intending his letters for his outrageous Blankety Blank alter ego.
Speaking to the about the most bizarre celebrity he's flirted with, Paul said: “I once got a letter from gangster Reggie Kray.
“So I politely wrote back, and then got another lovely letter back.
“I then realised it was Lily Savage he was writing to, not me. Apparently, he had quite a crush on Lily.”
It's thought Reggie's interest in drag might date back to his childhood when his mum Violet would dress him and brother Ronnie as girls.
Maureen Flanagan, who was friends with the twins' mum, previously told the they were "two princes that she dressed immaculately".
She said: “She dressed them like girls actually because she’d lost a little girl just before they were born.”
Paul started working the drag circuit as Lily Savage in the 80s and as he grew popular, he eventually toured the country.
From 1989 to 1992, Paul performed annually as Lily at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, gaining increasing recognition for his act.
As a result, he was nominated for the 1991 Perrier Award alongside Jack Dee, Eddie Izzard, and Frank Skinner.
Paul followed this with a show titled Lily Savage Live from the Hackney Empire, which proved to be a sell-out.
Once he had gained national success, Paul was then asked to bring his act to mainstream TV and made guest appearances on programmes like The Bill and Brookside.
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He hit the big time with a slot on The Big Breakfast from 1995 to 1996 but packed it in after one year saying that the early mornings "didn't agree" with him.
As Lily he also hosted a reboot of hit BBC quiz show Blankety Blank.
Paul still appears as Lily, although not as much, and often for pantomime.
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