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Paul O’Grady gets married at intimate ceremony in London

The Blind Date host tied the knot with his Brazilian beau earlier this month

Paul O’Grady has married his partner, former ballet dancer Andre Portasio, at an intimate ceremony in London.

The beloved television presenter, who has just fronted a reboot of classic show Blind Date, tied the knot with Andre in the gardens of the Goring Hotel on August 5.

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According to The Sun, the two men had 50 guests at the outdoor ceremony, including Hollywood actor Ian McKellan and comedian Julian Clary.

A source told the newspaper: “Paul is as happy as he’s ever been to be married to Andre.

“They kept the wedding to just their closest family and friends and had a big lunch afterwards to celebrate.”

Paul, 62, and Andre, 37, have largely kept their relationship out of the limelight, with Paul only ever making the briefest of references to his partner during interviews.

Back in 2012, Paul told The Daily Record: “Our relationship just crept up on us. It took us by surprise when we were least expecting it.”

On their marriage certificate, it is listed as Andre’s first marriage, while Paul is said to have had a previous marriage ‘dissolved’.

That’s a reference to his union with Portuguese pal Theresa Fernandez in 1977, which has been described as a ‘marriage of convenience’ rather than romance.

He has one daughter, Sharyn, who was born to another woman when he was 17.

Before finding love with husband Andre, Paul was in a long-term relationship with his manager, Brendan Murphy, who tragically died from a brain tumour at the age of 49.

Speaking to The Mirror in 2015, Paul said: “I am lucky to have some wonderful people in my life, and my partner Andre – who I met through Murphy.”

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He added: “He was a friend of Murphy’s and helped me look after him. He was brilliant. And it’s fate. I’m a great believer in fate and destiny.”

Brazilian-born Andre was a dancer for the English National Ballet, member of Dance UK and set up his own live stream production company and digital platform focusing on the arts and culture.


Nancy Brown
Associate Editor

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