Claire Sweeney is in ‘shock’ as she opens up about losing close friend Paul O’Grady ‘unexpectedly’

Claire Sweeney spoke about the loss of her close friend Paul O’Grady on Thursday following his death this week at the age of 67.

Tributes poured in for the legendary radio host and star after his partner Andre Portasio shared that he had passed away “unexpectedly but peacefully” on Tuesday night.

The former Brookside actress said she was completely “shocked” by the news, as Paul was busy acting in Annie The Musical last week.

She described Paul as a ‘legend’ and said he will be ‘missed’ greatly as she has ‘never heard a single bad word about him’.

Speaking to Bobby Norris and Stephen Leng on FUBAR Radio, Claire said: ‘I’m shocked. It was so unexpected.

‘Legend’: Tributes poured in for the legendary radio host and star after his partner Andre Portasio shared that he had passed away ‘unexpectedly but peacefully’ (pictured in 2009)

‘I mean what was Annie doing last week and all of a sudden she was gone. It was so fantastic, unique and charming. He is going to be so missed.

‘I have never heard a single bad word about him. He truly was, and is, a legend.

She continued: “He was doing it when not many people were standing by the [LGBTQ+] community. He was there and he didn’t care. I think he is wonderful, absolutely wonderful.

I was not afraid. To say, ‘I’m a big star, I have my own TV show like Lily Savage’ and then all of a sudden to say ‘okay, I want to be me now’, that takes courage.’

Claire was also asked in the interview if she would ever consider a return to her role as Lindsey Corkhill on the Channel 4 soap opera Brookside.

She said, ‘In a heartbeat! Brookside was brilliant. It was innovative and I loved it.

When people used to leave soap operas, they were not allowed to move on to other dramas. People left soap operas and that’s how their careers more or less ended.

O’Grady became a household name in the early 2000s, known for his wit and love of animals, and hosted a number of television shows, including his eponymous daytime chat show, The Paul O’Grady Show, which began airing in 2004.

‘It was so unexpected’: The former Brookside actress said she was completely ‘shocked’ by the news, as Paul was busy acting in Annie The Musical last week

So sad: He described Paul as a ‘legend’ and said he will be ‘missed’ so much as he’s ‘never heard a single bad word about him’ (pictured together in 2005)

Tribute: Paul’s death was announced by his partner Andre Portasio, whom he married in 2017 (the couple is shown here at the Royal Opera House in London in 2018)

He also took the reins from longtime host of Blind Date and close friend Cilla Black, who died in 2015, to present the show’s 2017 reboot on Channel 5 Por El Amor De Los Perros.

The cause of death of the father-of-one was not immediately known, but he had previously spoken of surviving heart attacks in 2002, 2006 and 2014, and also kidney failure. He, too, had a debilitating battle with covid that left him unable to work for two months.

O’Grady married Portuguese lesbian waitress Teresa Fernandes in 1977 to stop her deportation. They divorced in 2005 and he married former dancer Portasio in 2017.

Decades earlier, in 1974, he had his only child, a daughter named Sharyn Mousley, with his dear friend Diane Jansen. O’Grady is also a grandfather to Sharyn’s son Abel, who was born in 2006 and is now 16, and Sharyn’s daughter Halo, born in 2009.

Portasio said: ‘It is with great sadness that I inform you that Paul passed away unexpectedly but peacefully last night.

“We ask that, at this difficult time, that as you celebrate his life, you also respect our privacy as we come to terms with this loss.

“He will be greatly missed by his loved ones, friends, family, animals, and all those who enjoyed his humor, wit, and compassion.”

‘It was brilliant’: Claire was also asked if she would ever consider returning to her role as Lindsey Corkhill on the Channel 4 soap opera Brookside, she said: ‘In a heartbeat!’

I know he would want me to thank you for all the love you have shown him over the years.

O’Grady and Portasio tied the knot during a low-key wedding ceremony in 2017.

O’Grady was scheduled to return to the airwaves next month to host a one-off radio show on Easter Sunday on Boom Radio.

And she performed to the very end, taking the stage as Mrs. Hannigan in Annie at the Edinburgh Playhouse.