Paul O’Grady’s husband shares heartbreaking details of how TV star died

‘I heard a loud bang,’ Andre Portasio recalled one year on from TV star’s death

Paul O’Grady’s husband Andre Portasio has shared details of the TV star’s death, one year on.

British presenter and comedian O’Grady died after suffering cardiac arrhythmia on 28 March 2023, aged 67, news of which prompted an outpouring of love from the world of entertainment.

Portasio announced the news, saying O’Grady’s death was “unexpected but peaceful” – and now, a month after the heartwarming sum the ITV host left to his loved ones was revealed, he is reflected on the moment he died in their countryside cottage in Kent.

He described the day O’Grady died as “the most ordinary day”, saying that the star “had come back from touring, so was a little bit tired and woke up really late”.

When Portasio saw him, he was “looking very smart in a white shirt” ahead of a planned meeting with his long-time radio show producer Malcolm Prince. Referencing O’Grady’s dry wit, Portasio added: “I’ll never forget saying to him how handsome he looked, and him joking back, saying ‘F*** off!’”