Paul O’Grady fans were left emotional as they watched his final television appearance in Great Elephant Adventure, a documentary which aired on ITV over the weekend.
The Birkenhead-born personality, who shot to fame as drag queen Lily Savage before launching a hugely successful TV career as himself, died “unexpectedly but peacefully” from sudden cardiac arrhythmia at home on March 28 last year, aged 67.
The documentary saw him travel to Thailand’s largest wildlife hospital which looks after elephants rescued from circuses. He also visited elephants in Laos as part of the series.
Filming was completed in 2022, with animal lover O’Grady's voiceover work completed in the weeks leading up to his death.
The two-part series started last week with the final instalment airing on Sunday evening.
Many viewers admitted to being reduced to tears as they took to social media to share their thoughts on the film.
“Watching the lovely Paul O'Grady's elephants, he looks so happy! He is so missed and I am sobbing,” penned one person.
“Even the Elephants knew just how special Paul was and the empathy he had for animals and it's a special memory that, thankfully, they'll never forget,” wrote another.
“Paul O'Grady had a heart the size of an elephant. The world really has lost a treasure,” lamented another, while a fourth agreed: “I still can't believe he's not here. What a wonderful man he was.”
“Well, that was a wonderful programme and a fitting tribute. Still can't believe Paul O'Grady is not here anymore,” added a fifth.
