Inside Paul O’Grady’s family life – from his ex-wife to his husband, daughter and two grandchildren-Caroline Westbrook-Entertainment – Metro

Paul O’Grady and Andre Portasi were married in 2017 (Picture: WireImage)

Tributes have been pouring in for Lily Savage and Blind Date star Paul O’Grady, who has sadly died at the age of 67.

Lorraine Kelly and Carol Vorderman are among those who have been paying their respects with Kelly calling O’Grady ‘a really special man’ and Vorderman saying ‘what are we meant to do without you’?

O’Grady, who sprang to fame as his beloved drag alter ego Lily Savage, went on to present The Big Breakfast before fronting The Paul O’Grady Show, Blind Date, Blankety Blank, and ITV’s multi-award-winning For The Love Of Dogs.

He had been married to partner Andre Portasi since 2017, although the pair had been in a relationship since 2005.

It was his second marriage, with the pair getting together after O’Grady ended his 28-year marriage to the woman he married in 1977.

We take a look back at his family life, wife, husband and children.

Who was Paul O’Grady’s ex-wife?

O’Grady was formerly married to Portuguese model Teresa Fernandes – but he admitted that it was a ‘marriage of convenience’, and they were not in an active relationship.

The couple were wed in 1977, O’Grady later saying that he married her to prevent her from being deported.

‘Teresa, I call her the lesbian Portuguese barmaid, was lovely. She looked like David Cassidy,’ he explained in a previous interview.

‘We worked in a club in Westbourne Grove, London, when I was 22. 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.

He admitted that he forgot they were married, and only ended things 28 years later after his future came into question.

‘I had no idea we were still married until my manager Brendan said: ‘If anything happened to you, everything would go to your wife”,’ he explained. ‘It’s like a real-life Corrie story-line.’

Did Paul O’Grady have children?

O’Grady did not have children with Teresa, although he had a daughter Sharon, with his friend Diane Jansen.

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.

‘It was a really great day. Sharon looked fabulous and Philip is a smashing fella. They fit together like a pan and a lid,’ O’Grady said.

‘Sharon wore a lovely floaty pale pink dress – because she looks shocking in white. She looked like a Disney princess.’

Paul was also granddad to Sharon’s two children, son Abel, who was born in 2006, and daughter Halo, born in 2009.

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