Paul O’Grady’s husband has told how he was unable to leave his house for three weeks because of the outpouring of love from fans.
The TV star died a year ago after suffering a sudden cardiac arrhythmia, aged 67. And in a wide-ranging Mirror interview with Tom Bryant - which you can read here - Andre Portasio spoke of how he was amazed by the reaction from the public.
“I couldn’t leave the house for three weeks because people kept coming to leave flowers, cards, or even little miniature dogs,” he says. “It just reinforced quite how popular and deeply loved he was.”
Andre said that in the aftermath of Paul’s death, it was tough. In the interview, he says how Paul’s birthday in June was a terrible time, and he thought he was strong enough for Christmas and had invited all of Paul’s family, only to cancel and spend the day alone.
Andre has spoken of his heartbreaking loss (Andre Portasio)“I tried to pretend it wasn’t happening. I just sat with my feelings,” he says. Andre said he takes solace in his determination to celebrate Paul’s legacy... starting with the treasure-trove of items above his head.
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“There is an amazing history of items in our loft that he kept over the years that no one ever got to see,” he explains. Among them are his husband’s famous Lily Savage dresses and wigs, as well as countless pieces of memorabilia.
“I used to say to him that the Lily items were a slice of history but he was always very modest and called them a lot of tat,” proud Andre laughs. “I think by the end he was very tired of having to put on all the make-up and all the practical aspects of becoming Lily although he never fully retired her and she kept making comebacks.”
While Paul was alive, Andre managed to persuade him to donate the odd item to the V&A, but there are endless other pieces he is now setting aside. “They don’t belong to me, they belong to the nation,” he says. “I feel the audience at large would absolutely love to see them again, and it’s weighing on me very heavily how I take his legacy forward.”
Andre this week said how he didn’t feel strong enough to mark the anniversary of Paul’s death in their Kent house where it happened. “I wanted to be as far away from it as possible in New Zealand,” he said this week.
“I don’t want to be anywhere near my kitchen where I found him, and be reminded of what happened.” Touchingly, he brought Paul’s passport along with him.
“It will feel like he’s coming with me anyway, which is what he would have loved as he couldn’t do long-haul flights as he got older,” he says. "But he would have loved New Zealand, and on the day in question, I will remember him quietly in my own way.”
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