Paul O’Grady’s ‘secret’ daughter Sharyn Mousley - from childhood memories to heartbreaking final message to star
29.03.2024 - 15:45
/ ok.co.uk
Paul O'Grady was loved by many for his drag act Lily Savage and his big-hearted work with animals - but some of the late star's fans were surprised to learn that he was also a devoted dad.
The comedian and For the Love of Dogs star was a proud father to Sharyn Mousley, who was born when Paul was just a teenager. When Paul died suddenly in March 2023 aged 67, a devastated Sharyn played a poignant part in his funeral where she left a heartbreaking tribute to her beloved dad. Sharyn also features in ITV documentary The Life and Death of Lily Savage, which will mark a year since his passing, where she shares her treasured memories of growing up with the entertainer in her life.
Becoming a dad Some of Paul's fans might have been surprised to learn that he had a daughter, but the star actually became a father years before finding fame when he was just 18. He had a brief relationship with friend and work colleague Diane Jansen, who was older than him at 27, and Sharyn was born in May 1974. Sharyn, now 49, says in the ITV documentary: "My mum and dad met in the early Seventies.
They were just friends, then poof! Sharyn was born.
I think he didn’t know if he was gay or straight when I was born, so he liked to just keep everything separate." Paul agreed to pay maintenance of £3 a week out of his £11-a-week pay packet, but admitted in his autobiography The Devil Rides Out that he had struggled to bond with his daughter when she was a newborn. "I kept waiting, hoping for a rush of fatherly love as I lifted her nervously out of the cot," he wrote. "She was a sweet little thing, yet I felt distant.
I was ashamed of myself. What was wrong with me?" He added: "There had been some dispute between us over a suitable name. I wanted to call
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