I LOVE ALL MY ANIMALS, EVEN THE GEESESTAPO!
The radio and TV presenter who made his name via his drag act Lily Savage discusses life as a country bumpkin, his ever-growing brood and his very persistent elderly fans
goats, donkeys, ducks, “a deranged cow”, chickens, geese (he has nicknamed them “the Geesestapo”) and barn owls, as well as his beloved dogs.
“I’m always being asked, ‘How many animals have you got?’ But I can’t stop. I was down in Battersea yesterday and this dog comes in, she was dumped on Hampstead Heath on bonfire night heavily pregnant. So when she’s had her litter I’m taking her home with me. I can’t help it. It kills me. There’s this pitiful little dog sitting there and I think, ‘How can anyone do that to this poor little thing?’”
But with this love of animals comes the inevitable pain of coping with their loss. So much so that he admits he regularly questions why he puts himself through the agony of caring for them at all.
“It’s hideous sometimes. I can’t stand the heartbreak. When Buster [his Shih Tzu-Bichon Frise cross who regularly appeared alongside him on TV] died in 2009 I was like a grieving widow, honestly. Even when my chickens die it’s utter heartbreak. I’m like, ‘I can’t do this any more. I can’t bear it.’ But the problem is I’m constantly seeing abused animals and I can’t stop myself wanting to help them.”
Further heartbreak came in 2005 when partner Brendan died of a brain tumour aged just 49. However a year later he met ballet dancer Andre Portasio, 37. The two were married this summer and O’Grady professes himself to be the happiest he has ever been.
His professional life has also never been busier: with For The Love Of Dogs currently airing on ITV, he has also just returned from filming in India for a programme about the plight of animals there. He has been awarded an MBE for services to entertainment and his Radio 2 Sunday night show continues to excel in the ratings. “It’s all a bit strange,” he says, “These days I’m constantly grabbed in supermarkets by old ladies – and they haven’t half got a vice-like grip. They get you by the wrist and you’re trying to shake them off and they’re holding on for grim death. But it’s also kids wanting my autograph because of the animal programmes.
“If you think back to the early days of Lily, those people would not have been my fans! I’d have been like a pariah. I mean, oh my god, this bit of rough standing up in a gay pub dressed as a prostitute, telling the filthiest jokes… and now I’m reading out letters from octogenarians on Radio 2!”
Speaking of Lily… with O’Grady’s metamorphosis into national treasure just about complete is it safe to say we’ve seen the last of the potty-mouthed old girl? There’s a distinct twinkle in his eye as he considers the question.
“I must confess I did wheel her out as a wicked stepmother in panto with Julian Clary a couple of years ago. I came on in a Gestapo car trailing fake furs. That was great fun. And if they do another one next year I’ll do it. But that really will be Lily’s last hurrah.” He laughs again. “The last kick of a dying horse – it’s how she would want to go.” To order Paul O’Grady’s Country Life, published by Bantam Press at £20, call the Express Bookshop on 01872 562310. Or send a cheque or postal order made payable to The Express Bookshop to: Paul O’Grady Offer, PO Box 200, Falmouth, Cornwall, TR11 4WJ or visit expressbookshop.co.uk UK delivery is free.