Paul O’Grady was “nuzzled” by one in every of his favorite dogs throughout frantic efforts to save lots of him, his husband has shared.
The beloved TV presenter and comic handed away at his home in Kent on March 28, 2023 after struggling a sudden cardiac arrhythmia. Exactly a yr on, widower Andre Portasio has recalled For the Love of Dogs star Paul’s tragic last moments.
Andre, who married the star in 2017, mentioned he’s nonetheless getting used to the massive void in his life Paul left behind. The pair had been collectively for 18 years and solely now has he opened up for the primary time since his loss of life at 67.
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“He at all times insisted on watching the presenter Sangeeta [Bhabra] – he cherished her and would by no means enable me to place the BBC on,” Andre advised the Mirror. “It was all about ITV. He left to get some tea, and I heard this loud bang. But as a result of the home is large and old, I didn’t consider something at first.”
However, he quickly observed two of their dogs had gone into the kitchen and returned. Believing Paul had headed exterior to the cottage within the grounds of the home which they had been renovating, Andre obtained up and went to the kitchen himself.
“I walked to the kitchen to start out placing some meals on, and I began taking issues out of the fridge,” he continued. “And abruptly, I might see him mendacity on the ground.” Frozen in shock, Andre mentioned he did not know what to do at first, after recognizing a lower to Paul’s head.
“I assumed he was most likely simply unconscious,” he defined. “I known as the ambulance they usually mentioned the very best likelihood to maintain him alive was to do CPR.” Andre did simply that and by the point paramedics arrived he felt “exhausted”.
Andre says the crew fought for an hour to save lots of him and at one level believed he was respiration, solely to pronounce him useless “very shortly afterwards.” Andre then went on to disclose the “saddest half” of the tragic episode.
“As I used to be making an attempt to resuscitate him, I used to be making an attempt to maintain the dogs out of the room,” he mentioned. “But someway Paul’s canine Arfur, who’s one in every of his favourites, escaped and he nuzzled his face as he at all times did on Paul’s shoulder, as if to say ‘get up’. It was simply heartbreaking.”
Paul left a staggering £15.5million in his will, with £125,000 only for his 5 pet dogs. He additionally gave an enormous £500,000 to the Battersea Cats and Dogs Home, which was seen on his widespread TV present. In addition to this, he additionally gave away £775,000 to different charities near his coronary heart, together with £50,000 every to elephant and orangutan charities.
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