Paul O'Grady's Wives, Children, Net Worth, Cause Of Death

May 2024 · 5 minute read

Paul O’Grady’s wives are Teresa Fernandes and later a man named André Portasio. Fernandes was Paul’s first wife and a woman whom the entertainer had a marriage of convenience with in 1977 before they divorced in 2005 after 28 years. On the other hand, O’Grady’s second marriage was to a professional ballet dancer man, Portasio in 2017 until his unexpected death on March 28 2023 at 67.

Prior to his death, Paul led a mark in the entertainment industry as an English comedian, broadcaster, actor, writer, and drag queen with an $8.2 million net worth.

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Meet Paul O’Grady’s Wife and Husband

His First Wife Teresa Fernandes is a Lesbian

Teresa Fernandes is a Portuguese national and a lesbian. She met O’Grady in 1976 at the gay club Showplace and in 1977, they became married.

One would wonder how Paul, a gay married a woman and stayed in the marriage for more than 2 decades.

Well, Teresa, a woman raised in a Catholic family asked why the actor was not married. Instead of giving her reasons and leaving them there, he asked that she married. Rather than marriage for love’s sake as seen in many marriages, Paul married Teresa to prevent her from being deported in 1970.

Surprisingly, the marriage did not end in divorce immediately afterward. Instead, they were legally married for about 28 years.

According to Paul, he was not aware that they were still legally married until many years later. His attention was drawn to it when his manager informed him that if he died, his wife would have everything that was him. In 2005, the former couple was legally divorced.

He Dated His Gay Partner, Andre Portasio for 11 Years They Married in 2017

Andre Portasio is a Brazillian former ballet dancer, teacher, amateur photographer, and Paul O’Grady’s husband. He also previously danced with the English National Ballet.

Andre and Paul dated for 11 years before they married in an idyllic secret ceremony in August 2017 at The Goring Hotel’s gardens.

The wedding was attended by famous people such as Ian McKellen, actor cum politician Michael Cashman, and comedian, Julian.

According to Paul’s biography, their love just happened. Yet, their married survived Paul his last 5 years on earth.

At the time they were married, the couple did not live together. They were inspired by Helena Bonham Carter and Tim Burton who stayed apart from the time they were married till their 2022 divorce.

Well, Andres and Paul revealed that the arrangement worked for them.

Who are Paul O’Grady’s Children?

Paul O’Grady’s only child is a daughter named Sharon Moseley, also known as Sharon Lee Jansen. She was born to the actor and his close friend Diane Jansen in May 1974.

She was born at the time that the late actor was 18 years old and throughout his life, Paul and his daughter Sharon shared a close bond despite the fact that they argued a lot.

At her wedding in 2008, Sharon was walked down by her father as she married her childhood friend and Paul O’Grady’s godson, Philip Moseley.

Following the wedding, Sharon welcomed two children – Abel Moseley and Halo Moseley. Abel is 17 years old and was born on Tuesday 26 December 2006 in Liverpool.

Her second son, Halo was born in 2014.

While the boys also keep their private lives, Paul O’Grady has shared rare moments of the boys on social media.

See Also: Nicholas Collins – 10 Shocking Details About Phil Collins’ son 

Paul’s Net Worth and How He Became Rich

Paul’s net worth is estimated at $8.2 million. Despite this being the most popular figure attached to him on the internet, there is a probability that his career may have fetched him more or less.

Since neither he nor his husband ever attested to his having any particular amount, all that is on the internet believed to be his net worth is only an estimation. This is judged based on his career as known by the public.

He earned it from different sources such as acting, broadcasting, writing, and comedy.

His career is traced to the 1980s. The Tranmere, Cheshire-born was most famous for his act, Lily Savage. He created the draft character in the 1970s based on some traits found among female relatives.

He toured England as part of a mime duo, Playgirls, before going solo and later claiming fame.

His fame grew over time and BBC created a Sunday series called The Lily Savage Show. This added to his fortune.

He also earned from numerous other shows, including The Paul O’Grady Show and Paul O’Grady Live between 2004 to 2011. Also, he was known for having an animal show and radio shows.

How Paul O’Grady Died

Lily Savage died peacefully on the evening of 28 March 2023 at the age of 67. The death was announced by his husband Andre.

While other details surrounding the death have not been given at the time of this report, he had a number of health issues over the years before his demise.

In 2002, he suffered a heart attack. In 2006 and 2014,  he was hit for the second and third times.

Another health issue struck him in 2013 when he suffered angina – chest pain that was caused by reduced blood flow to the heart and muscles.

Well, he does not seem to be the only one in his family to have heart conditions. In 2017, he revealed that his sister was being treated with fluid in her heart and lungs.

Away from ailments relating to the heart, O’Grady also suffered kidney troubles while filming his animal show.

In 2020, he was struck again by the COVID-19 pandemic which left him trying to get over it for two months. He also reported that his breath was gone.

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