Paul O’Grady’s husband has revealed he didn’t leave the house for three months in the wake of his sudden death.
The legendary TV icon, who shot to fame playing alter ego Lily Savage, died ‘unexpectedly but peacefully’ from a heart attack in March at the age of 67.
In a heartbreaking new interview, his ballet dancer husband has shared just how much he is struggling to cope without his partner of 17 years.
Andre Portasio said he only left the house again for the first time recently to accept an award on behalf of Paul at the British LGBT Awards on Friday.
And he said he is ‘taking it day by day’ as he comes to terms with the loss of his beloved Paul.
"I have kept myself to myself since Paul died. This is the first day I have actually left home," Andre told the Daily Star on Sunday. “I am trying to take it day by day... at the moment I am coping. It was such a shock for me to lose him. It was a shock to all of us. It was so unexpected. I am still digesting it all."
The professional dancer said he had been "amazed" at the outpouring of love for Paul since his untimely death.
He shared: "I spent 17 years with Paul and I know the wonderful person that he was. But it wasn’t until his death that I realised how much he affected, inspired and touched people."
Andre revealed he had been sent "thousands" of letters and was still going through them and trying to reply three months on.
"I’m amazed how someone can touch people in the way he did. And it wasn’t just humans... every animal he met too," he added.
Earlier this week Paul was honoured at the LGBT Awards as a "truly iconic member of the LGBT+ community".
In one of the most poignant moments of the night, his husband Andre accepted the award on his behalf.
A spokesperson for the British LGBT Awards said: "The much-loved TV star was a multiple British LGBT Award winner before his sudden death in March and was set to attend this year's ceremony to collect the Broadcaster of the Year accolade."
Julian Clary also paid a touching tribute to his friend, who created Lily Savage before embarking on a glittering TV and radio career.
Over his lifetime, Paul hosted a number of TV shows including Blankety Blank, The Lily Savage Show and The Big Breakfast and had a popular show on BBC Radio 2.
Sadly, Paul died a week before he was due to start a new job at Boom Radio after quitting Radio 2.
A message posted on the Boom Radio Twitter account said: "There are few broadcasters who attract the love Paul did. The response to the last show was enormous – listeners felt he’d popped around to their house over lunch. That was his gift."
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