![]() Paul O'Grady being made a Member of the Order of the British Empire by the then Prince of Wales (now King Charles III), at Buckingham Palace in 2008 While working as a peripatetic care officer for Camden Council in north London in the 1970s, O'Grady began performing as Lily in gay clubs across the capital, making a name for himself with his outrageous alter-ego. You'd never laugh because it was a manner of speaking.' 'She was very glamorous, a big blonde and she'd come in and say, ''I'm that hungry, I could eat a nun's a**e through the convent railings". My Auntie Chrissie was a clippy on the buses. 'A lot of the stuff I used to say as Lily stemmed from those days. He also said that Lily's iconic look, including her huge blonde beehive and glamorous appearance, was inspired by her aunt, who was a 'clippy', or bus conductor. I used to lift my cassock to go down the steps – you know, show an ankle – and swing the thurible more enthusiastically than I should have.' 'All of a sudden, my whole style on the altar changed – you had this 12-year-old stripper. The star credited the racy film Gypsy with kick-starting his interest in performing, telling The Big Issue: 'I was an altar boy until I saw a film called Gypsy about Gypsy Rose Lee. He first began performing as Lily in the 1970s while working as a peripatetic care officer for Camden Council in north London. He was a trailblazer for the gay community when he burst on to the national stage as Lily Savage in the 1980s - before his rise to fame took him from Camden clubs to the doors of Buckingham Palace. The comedian made a name for himself by speaking out about LGBT issues and often lent a hand to members of the community. O'Grady also has a granddaughter Halo, born in 2009 Paul O'Grady holds his three-week old grandson Abel with his daughter Sharon by his side. He, on occasion, would forget he was married and had to be reminded by his manager. 'So I said: "Come on then, we'll get married", and we did.' 'She was from a very strict Catholic family and was always being hassled by them: "Why aren’t you getting married?" O'Grady previously told the Mirror: 'Teresa, I call her the lesbian Portuguese barmaid, was lovely. They divorced in 2005 after having been married for 28 years. The pair were wed to stop her deportation. On their wedding certificate it cites the star's previous marriage was 'dissolved', in reference to his 1977 convenience marriage to Portuguese lesbian barmaid Teresa Fernandez. ![]() It took us by surprise when we were least expecting it.' O'Grady revealed his relationship with the ballet dancer and teacher in his 2012 biography, where he said: 'Our relationship just crept up on us. The pair met at a London-based gay club called Showplace. They secretly wed in an intimate ceremony at The Goring Hotel's gardens. O'Grady has been married to his partner and former English National Ballet member Andre Portasio since 2017. Lily had further success as the host of a revived version of the game show Blankety Blank, which ran until 2002 O'Grady is a grandfather to Sharon's son Abel, who was born in 2006 and is now aged 16, and her daughter Halo, born in 2009. He gave his daughter away at her wedding to Philip Moseley, describing it as a 'really great day.' He also said Sharon and Philip 'fit together like a pan and a lid.' ![]() He and his friend Diane Jansen welcomed his only daughter, Sharon, which whom he shared a close bond. The comedian also became a father in 1974 when he was just 18 years old. He held a series of different jobs, including in a hotel, office and a magistrates court, before he began working as a peripatetic care officer for Camden Council in north London. He attended a school run by the Christian Brothers that he was describes as being 'wicked, wicked.' O'Grady left school at age 16 and began working at the Department of Health and Social Security. 'I was an indulged child and completely protected from anything bad.' Our family was loving and full of affection. In his autobiography, Mr O'Grady said: 'When I look back on my childhood I have no bad memories. The TV personality was one of three children, but more than a decade younger than his brother and sister. ![]() Tragically, both his parents died young due to heart problems - his father when O'Grady was in his late teens and his mother, whose maiden name was Savage, when he was 33. O'Grady was born in Birkenhead, Merseyside, in 1955 to Irish father Paddy and English mother Molly. The picture was taken by Milo's mother Amanda Mealing O'Grady is holding a baby who is believed to be his godson Milo. Paul O'Grady is pictured with friend Charlie Condou in an undated photo. ![]()
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