A woman who married Paul O'Grady in the 1970s has spoken out following the star's death. Paul had previously admitted to marrying ex-wife Teresa Fernandes in 1977 to stop her being deported and placate her 'strict Catholic' family.
Teresa was married to the beloved comedian for 28 years even as Paul forgot he was married to the barmaid. He remembered the marriage when his manager Brendan reminded him, saying: "If anything happened to you, everything would go to your wife. It's like a real-life Corrie storyline", the Mirror reports.
The pair met in the 70s in a gay club where Teresa worked and Paul decided to marry her out of "convenience" and to prevent her being "hassled" by her family. Teresa has now revealed her sadness over Paul's death, joking to the Daily Mail : "We probably enjoyed one of the longest marriages in showbiz!"
Read more: Paul O'Grady's 'secret' wife pays tribute to star after not attending funeral
The pair lost contact and only divorced in 2005 after 28 years of marriage, reports NottinghamshireLive, but Paul said he had never been in a relationship with her. Teresa also said they had never slept or lived together. Paul had said on their marriage: "Teresa, I call her the lesbian Portuguese barmaid, was lovely. She looked like David Cassidy.
"We worked in a club in Westbourne Grove, London, when I was 22. She was from a very strict Catholic family and was always being hassled by them: 'Why aren't you getting married?' So I said: 'Come on then, we'll get married', and we did. We were married for 28 years."
Paul went on to wed Brazilian Ballet dancer Andre Portasio in 2017 after meeting at London-based gay club Showplace and becoming friends. He also had a daughter, Sharon, with his close friend Diane Jansen, in 1974. He also had a grandson, Abel and a granddaughter, Halo.
Teresa explained the pair had carried on working after marrying but eventually drifted apart and found other partners. She believed she last saw Paul in the 1980s while he was performing at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern where the pair caught up about the past.
The couple divorced in 2005. She said "Paul was a lovely man", and "him offering to marry me to help me out was just one of those things that Paul would do, he would help anyone".
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