Amanda Mealing has revealed the heartwarming way she’ll always have a piece of television legend Paul O’Grady by her side.
The former Casualty star has opened up about the death of the TV legend back in March this year. And, she said, she left his funeral with a new four-legged friend, laughing at the star’s coffin and telling him: “You little [bleep]. You’ve done it to me. You dumped another dog on me. You’re not even in the ground yet!’ But now I sort of always have Paul with me.”
Paul’s funeral – and Amanda’s lasting reminder of the star
Speaking to OK!, Amanda went on to add: “Thanks to Paul, what I do have now is a beautiful dog in his memory. At the funeral, which was only at a small village churchyard, he had a doggy guard of honour. I saw the last dog in the line of five and thought, oh, I need to have him. Then Ronnie Wood walked past and said: ‘She’s gotta have him, give the dog to her.”
The dog has been named Rufus Elvis O’Grady. It’s particularly poignant because Elvis Presley’s (If You’re Looking For) Trouble was played as mourners left Paul’s funeral. It was also a regular showstopper for his alter ego, Lily Savage.
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Amanda Mealing on her friendship with Paul O’Grady
Amanda added Paul that was “the gatekeeper of my secrets”. And, she said, that she sometimes forgets he isn’t with us any more and goes to pick up the phone and call him.
“There was nothing Paul didn’t know – the deepest, darkest secrets about me, and he wouldn’t tell anyone else. I knew I wouldn’t get any kind of judgement from him. I knew that if I said: ‘Oh, this happened or that happened,’ he’d just say: ‘Well, kid, you’re lucky, because when I did…’ and he’d come up with something worse to make me feel better. I still go to call him. Something funny or infuriating will happen, and I reach for my phone,” she added.
Read more: Amanda Mealing delights fans with news of plans to honour Paul O’Grady as she makes plea
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