12 Facts About Paul O'Grady

1. Since 2008, Paul O'Grady has been an ambassador for Save the Children.

2. In 1974, with his friend Diane Jansen, Paul O'Grady had a daughter, Sharon.

3. In December 2015, Paul O'Grady appeared in Our Cilla, a one-off programme about the life of Cilla Black.

4. In 2015, Paul O'Grady presented Bob Monkhouse: The Million Joke Man, a three-part factual series for Gold, exploring the life of comedian and presenter Bob Monkhouse.

5. In 2015, Paul O'Grady stated that the show wouldn't return for any future series.

6. At the end of the first series, Paul O'Grady was invited to become an ambassador of Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, and a bronze statue of his late dog, Buster, was erected on a plinth at the centre.

7. In October 2011, Paul O'Grady played Mr Slattery in a stage performance of Drama at Inish at the Finborough in Earl's Court.

8. In November 2013, Paul O'Grady suffered an angina attack and underwent further heart surgery.

9. With his increased public profile, Paul O'Grady was invited on to many other television chat shows, such as Richard and Judy, while in the guise of Lily, and agreed to appear in a Christmas special of cookery show Ready, Steady, Cook alongside his friend Barbara Windsor.

10. When the musical went on a tour of the UK, Paul O'Grady accompanied it, taking a break from The Big Breakfast to do so.

11. In 1984, Paul O'Grady began work as a barman at the Elephant and Castle, a Vauxhall gay pub.

12. With his best friend Tony, Paul O'Grady regularly travelled to London to socialise with Tony's friend, the classical music conductor John Pritchard, becoming very fond of him.