Did Paul O'Grady have children? All about his ex-wife and family as comedian dies aged 67

World-renowned comedian Paul O'Grady recently passed away, much to everyone's sorrow.

Paul rose to fame with his drag queen persona Lily Savage in the 1990s. He was the presenter of the BBC One game show Blankety Blank and a few other light entertainment programs throughout his career. A few years later, he moved on to hosting chat shows and brought his love for dogs to center stage with the 2012 show For The Love Of Dogs.

The comedian and presenter's husband Andre Portasio confirmed the unfortunate news and said that the 67-year-old comedian passed away "unexpectedly but peacefully" on Tuesday, March 28.

In a statement, Andre asked for privacy to deal with the loss:

“We ask, at this difficult time, that whilst you celebrate his life you also respect our privacy as we come to terms with this loss."

He added:

“He will be greatly missed by his loved ones, friends, family, animals and all those who enjoyed his humour, wit and compassion. I know that he would want me to thank you for all the love you have shown him over the years.”

Before the comedian got into a relationship with Andre Portasio, he had a daughter named Sharon with Diane Jansen, with whom he shared a close relationship.

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Paul O'Grady had a beloved daughter and two grandchildren

Years before Paul O'Grady fell in love with his husband Andre Portasio, the beloved comedian was living on a farm in the rural Kent area. He was with his dear friend Diane Jansen and the pair had a daughter together when Paul was just 18 years old.

Sharon O'Grady was born in 1974 to Paul O'Grady and Diane Jansen. The father-daughter duo shared a great relationship. Sharon was the animal lover's only child. Paul O'Grady was the one who gave her away at her wedding when she married her childhood friend, Philip Moseley.

While sharing details of his daughter's wedding day and opening up about his close bond with his only child.

As per HITC, he said:

“It was a really great day. Sharon looked fabulous and Philip is a smashing fella. They fit together like a pan and lid. Sharon wore a lovely floaty pink dress – because she looks shocking in white. She looked like a Disney princess.”

Sharon O'Grady is now 48 years old and a mother to her 16-year-old son Abel and 14-year-old daughter, Halo.

The TV favorite was close to his grandchildren and posted a picture of Abel on his social media account in December. The caption read: “This little monster is 16 today. Happy Birthday Abel love GanGan xx.”

Paul was also married to a woman for 28 years but it was more of a marriage of convenience. He met a Portuguese model named Teresa Fernandes when he was working at a gay club called Showplace in 1976, two years after his daughter Sharon was born.

At the club, he encountered Teresa, who happened to be gay and was going to be deported. To help her not get kicked out of the country, Paul O'Grady agreed to tie the knot with Teresa in May 1977 as a 'marriage of convenience.'

The comedian later revealed that they never shared a relationship but stayed married for about three decades as they lost touch. Eventually, in 2005, the pair separated when Paul's manager warned him that his assets would be left to her in case something were to happen to him.

While speaking to the Mirror about their marriage, Paul O'Grady 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."

He opened up about why they got married and continued:

"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.”

Paul O'Grady shared that they were in a marriage of convenience for 28 years.

The Blankety Blank star later revealed that he had gradually forgotten that he was married all those years ago. He eventually had to call up Teresa to end the marriage when he started thinking about his own future.

He said:

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

Paul then got into a relationship with his partner Andre Portasio in 2006. Paul was 50 whereas Andre was 25 years old when they opened up about their relationship.

The two tied the knot in 2017 in a low-key ceremony, and spent 17 years of their lives together before Paul suddenly passed away on March 28.