22 April 2023 , 08:39
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Paul O'Grady's secret wife has broken her silence since his death.
Teresa Fernandes was secretly married to the much-loved star for 28 years and has now revealed her sadness over her beloved friend's death.
"We probably enjoyed one of the longest marriages in showbiz!" she quipped to the Daily Mail.
Paul, an openly gay man, previously admitted he had married Portuguese ex wife Teresa Fernandes in 1977 to stop her from being deported.
The Blankety Blank presenter met Teresa in a gay club where they worked, and he decided to marry her out of "convenience" and to stop her being "hassled" by her family.
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Despite losing contact, they only legally divorced in 2005 after being married for 28 years, but Paul said he had never been in a relationship with her.
Teresa spoke about her marriage to Paul (Dave Benett/Getty Images)
The pair lost touch and divorced in 2005 (TV Times via Getty Images)Speaking about the marriage, Paul said: "Teresa, I call her the lesbian Portuguese barmaid, was lovely. She looked like David Cassidy.
"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. We were married for 28 years."
He also admitted he had forgotten he had married the barmaid all those years ago, until his manager Brendan reminded him. His manager had told him: "If anything happened to you, everything would go to your wife. It's like a real-life Corrie storyline."
The Radio 2 star went on to marry Brazilian ballet dancer Andre Portasio, who was 25 years his junior, in 2017, after meeting at London-based gay club Showplace and becoming friends.
Paul O'Grady as his drag queen persona Lily Savage (Getty Images)It was fellow actor Julian Clary that inspired him to tie the knot, with Paul explaining: "Julian put the seed in my head. He said, 'I've got married. You should'."
Paul said that he was "right" because it "protected" his partner if anything happened to him, adding: "It makes sense".
He continued: "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."
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Tributes were paid to Paul
Celebrities flocked to Paul's funeral in Kent (PA)Paul also had a daughter, Sharon, with his close friend Diane Jansen, in 1974. He also had a grandson, Abel and a granddaughter, Halo.
Speaking about their marriage, Teresa admitted they never slept or lived together.
She also told how the pair carried on working after they got married but then eventually drifted apart and had other partners.
Theresa thinks she last saw Paul in the 1980s while he was performing at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern where the pair caught up about the past.
The pair were eventually divorced and the date on the papers was Valentine's Day, February 14, 2005.
She said: "Paul always made me laugh and I always used to say he would make someone very happy and he was a lovely man, we had such a good friendship and it's shame we drifted apart.
"'Him offering to marry me to help me out was just one of those things that Paul would do, he would help anyone, he was very kind natured and you can see that, he would help anyone if they need it.
"I was sad when I heard he had died, I was surprised though because every time I saw him on the TV and in the newspapers he always looked so good and he was still young, he wasn't old like me at all."