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PAUL'S FINAL GIFT
Paul O’Grady left staggering amount in will – including £125k to beloved pets & huge sum to Battersea Dogs Home
The list of charities the generous telly icon gave to won't come as a surprise to fans
TELLY favourite Paul O’Grady left a staggering £15.5m in his will - with £125,000 set aside to look after his five pet dogs.
The presenter also left half a million pounds to the Battersea Cats and Dogs Home which featured in his best known TV show - ITV’s For the Love of Dogs.
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Animal lover Paul, who died last March aged 67, left a total of £775,000 to organisations close to his heart, including donations of £50,000 to elephant and orangutan charities.
He also gave £50,000 to the Salvation Army, whom he’d been a lifelong fan of as a result of them helping the needy in his native Liverpool when he was growing up.
A friend close to Paul, famous for his drag alter ego Lily Savage, said: “This is typical of Paul as he put his money where his mouth was by leaving cash to charities that had special meaning to him.
“And though £125,000 seems like a lot of money to spend on his dogs, they also meant the world to him and he wanted to ensure they always receive the best love and care.”
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The bulk of Paul’s estate is expected to go to his widower, Andre Portasio, his daughter Sharon Mousley and his sister Sheila Rudd.
Other recipients of the will, which he created in 2017, include his agent Joan Marshrons as well as nine other people including his godchildren Milo and Otis Sainsbury.
Joan will look after all of Paul’s dogs - Nancy, Arfur, Conchita, Eddie, and Sausage - with specific instructions written by Paul in his will.
It states: “The legacy shall mean £25,000 in respect of each animal. I direct that Joan shall take over the responsibility of each animal....to use each legacy for the upkeep and maintenance of each Animal until its death.”
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He gave a total of £100,000 to be divided between two foreign wildlife organisations - the Indian Wildlife Trust, called Wildlife SOS, and the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre in Borneo.
He also spoke about how much he loved the Salvation Army, once remarking in an interview: “They saved kids near my street when I was a boy with food kitchens, helped me when I was a care worker and supported people I know over the years.”
Major Jo Moir of The Salvation Army worked with Paul for six months on a programme he was making about The Salvation Army, where Paul trained as a Salvation Army volunteer. They became good friends.
Speaking after the will was revealed, she said: “We are so grateful to Paul for this incredibly generous gift that will go towards our work supporting the most vulnerable and marginalised.
"The Salvation Army has really benefited from Paul’s support over many years, often in front of the camera but often quietly offering his support and friendship. We miss him and his family are often in our prayers.
“Almost 50% of funds donated by kind supporters like Paul comes from gifts in Wills and we promise that every gift will help to change lives for good."
Paul once remarked that he’d left very exacting instructions to his lawyer to execute his will just as he’d stated, alongside a warning.
In a he said: “I’ve put in my will – the solicitor was roaring laughing – ‘God help anyone who ignores my wishes, because when your turn comes to die I’ll be stood at the gates of hell waiting for you.”
The figure of £15.5m left in his will is more than double what was predicted shortly after his death on March 28, as a result of cardiac arrhythmia.
He was said to have been smoking a cannabis joint when he died peacefully at his home.
Speaking at a star-studded memorial for O’Grady last October, his husband Andre Portasio recalled: “We’d had a very ordinary day, just watching TV together at home, when Paul said he wanted to make a ‘cup of tea,’ and that was our little code for rolling a spliff.
“So Paul went to the kitchen to make a cup of tea, brought it back, lit it and started smoking it – and that was our last time together, the last thing we did. He passed away there in his chair.”
Peter Laurie, Battersea Chief Executive says: “Battersea is truly overwhelmed and deeply grateful to be remembered by our late friend and Ambassador, Paul, in his Will.
“This further shows what we knew to be true of Paul during his life, his unwavering commitment and devotion to helping the thousands of animals that arrive at our centres every year.
“Working alongside our staff to look after the dogs and cats that need our support, Paul was able to see the unconditional care, support and expertise that goes into helping the animals both at our centres and beyond.
“Many of our animals arrive with complex medical conditions and it can take many weeks for some of them to find homes; as a champion for the underdog we know that Paul would have left his gift to Battersea with these animals in mind.
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“Battersea will forever be indebted to Paul for all that he did for our charity and the animals in our care and we’ll be carrying on his legacy, continuing to go the extra mile and helping many more dogs and cats receive their much deserved second chance in life.”
To find out more about the Salvation Army, please visit , call 020 7367 4800 or email [email protected]”
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