Paul O'Grady didn't listen to his friends concerns about his ill health, according to one good pal.
Christopher Biggins was a close friend of the late entertainer and admits Paul was 'like a teenager' when it came to his health and didn't listen to concerns. The beloved entertainer passed away "peacefully but unexpectedly" last week at the age of 67.
Christopher, 74, said: “Paul was like a teenager as far as his health was concerned — he didn’t listen."
He told The Sun: "About 15 years ago we were staying with Cilla in Spain. Paul had his heart problems already and had been told not to smoke or indulge in alcohol too much.
“That was a stupid thing to tell Paul. One evening Cilla and I were down in the kitchen having a natter when we smelt smoke. She told me to go upstairs and tell him to stop."
He continued: “I felt like the matron from the Carry On films when I went into his bedroom and said, ‘Paul, you’re smoking’. He looked at me and said, ‘No I’m not’.
“I said to him, ‘You must think we’re idiots, the room’s full of smoke’. He kept insisting, ‘I’m not smoking’, and in minutes we were both lying on the floor laughing hysterically. I know for a fact he was still smoking last week. What a wonderful way to go — peacefully in your sleep.”
Paul's husband Andre Portasio announced the news of his partner's death last week in a heartbreaking post. Speaking of Paul's life with his husband, Christopher said: “He married a gorgeous man and I think that is what saved him from descending into life as a rogue.
"He made a happy life in the Kent countryside with his animals."
He added: “I’ll never forget the time I went down there and sat myself down on top of a pig. I thought it was a cushion. It was just curled up on the couch.”
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