How old was Paul O’Grady and what was his net worth?

PAUL O’Grady was a national treasure thanks to alter ego Lily Savage, and shows like For The Love Of Dogs.

The showbiz legend passed away in March 2023 – aged 67.

Who was Paul O’Grady?

Born on June 14, 1955 in Birkenhead, the late TV star Paul O’Grady kicked off his career as an entertainer when he performed as Lily Savage in the 80s.

He started working on the drag circuit with his act in pubs and clubs, and as he grew more 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.

He then 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 asked to bring his act to mainstream TV.

He made guest appearances on TV programmes like The Bill and Brookside.

But it was when he took over from the late Paula Yates on The Big Breakfast from 1995 to 1996 that he really hit the big time.

However, he called it quits on the show after a year, stating how the early mornings “didn’t agree” with him.

As Lily, he also hosted a reboot of hit BBC quiz show Blankety Blank.

Paul had many showbiz pals during his life, and was firm friends with the late Cilla Black right up until she died back in 2015.

He even delivered the eulogy at Cilla’s funeral.

On March 28, 2023, Paul sadly passed away“unexpectedly but peacefully”.

Was Paul O’Grady married?

In August 2017, The Sun exclusively revealed how Paul had secretly wed his ballet dancer partner Andre.

The pair began seeing each other in 2007 and got hitched during a 30-minute ceremony at the prestigious Goring Hotel in central London.

This was Paul’s second marriage – he was married to Teresa Fernandes from 1977 to 2005.

This was a ‘marriage of convenience’ and he says he was ‘not in a relationship’ with her at any point.

Did Paul have any children?

In 1974 Paul had a daughter, Sharyn, with his friend Diane Jansen.

During their lives together, Paul had a good relationship with his only child.

The doting dad gave her away at her wedding when she married her childhood friend Philip Moseley.

Paul then became a grandfather when the couple had children, a boy, Abel, and a girl called Halo.

Did Paul O’Grady still perform as Lily Savage?

Paul no longer performed as Lily Savage before his death.

He previously said he wouldn’t bring back his iconic drag alter-ego, as he was scared of being cancelled.

Speaking to The Sun back in 2021, Paul explained: “People say to me, ‘Would you do Lily again?… and I say, ‘Good God no, I wouldn’t last five minutes”.

“It’s just the things that she comes out with. It’s a different time now.”

He added: “They probably wouldn’t like the inference that she was a lady of the night — she’d have to say she was a sex worker or just worked in hospitality”.

What were Paul O’Grady’s biggest shows?

During his life, Paul enjoyed enormous success, which cemented him as a household name.

He fronted numerous TV shows including The Paul O’Grady Show, The New Paul O’Grady Show, and Paul O’Grady Live.

The kind-hearted star was known for his love of animals, and fronted Paul O’Grady: For the Love of Dogs, Paul O’Grady’s Animal Orphans, and Paul O’Grady’s Little Heroes.

In 2018 he was presented with the Special Recognition Award at the NTAs after his stint on For the Love of Dogs.

He’s also delved into the history of cinema with Paul O’Grady’s Hollywood on Channel 4.

In 2022, Paul returned to TV for a Christmas special of For The Love Of Dogs.

Paul’s last TV project is set to air on ITV1 on Friday March 29,2024 at 9pm.

The Life and Death of Lily Savage is a documentary which marks the first anniversary of the death of Paul and explores his life via his famous alter ego Lily Savage.

What was Paul O’Grady’s net worth?

During his life, Paul accumulated quite a fortune.

This was earned through his work on multiple high profile TV shows, and his long career as an entertainer.

The Sun revealed that Paul left a staggering £15.5m in his will – with £125,000 set aside to look after his five pet dogs.

The presenter also left half a million pounds to the Battersea Cats and Dogs Home which featured in his best known TV show – ITV’s For the Love of Dogs.

Paul left a total of £775,000 to organisations including donations of £50,000 to elephant and orangutan charities.

He gave £50,000 to the Salvation Army who he’d been a lifelong fan of as a result of them helping those in need in his native Liverpool.