Paul O’Grady’s ‘secret’ daughter has broken her silence over her father’s sudden death, saying the family is ‘devastated’.
Sharon Mousley, 48, was born after Paul had a brief relationship with then colleague Diane Jansen, now 76, in the early 1970s.
The Lily Savage icon was very close to Sharon and he gave her away when she married husband Philip Mousley.
Speaking exclusively to MailOnline from her home in Liverpool, Sharon said: ‘What can I say? We are all devastated, I am, my mother is, everyone is. We loved him and we will miss him.
She added: “We are all distraught.”
Paul O’Grady’s ‘secret’ daughter Sharon Mousley, 48, (pictured) has broken her silence over her father’s sudden death, saying the family is ‘devastated’
Paul O’Grady holding his then three week old grandson with daughter Sharon by his side in January 2007
Paul O’Grady with daughter Sharyn Mousley at his OBE investiture at Buckingham Palace in 2008
Many fans of the star were unaware that he had fathered a child until the series of posts covering all aspects of his life and career following news of his death earlier this week.
Sharon Moseley was born in May 1974 when Paul was just 18 years old. Since then, she has made several public appearances with him.
A mother of two teenage children, Abel and Halo, she joined Buckingham Palace with her father when he was awarded an MBE in 2008 for services to entertainment.
Paul also gave her away in the traditional father role at her wedding and gave a speech at the reception. He said of the wedding afterwards, “It was a really great day. Sharon looked fantastic and Philip is a great guy. They fit together like a pan and a lid. She looked like a Disney princess.’
Sharon Mousley (right) was born after Paul had a brief relationship with then colleague Diane Jansen, now 76, in the early 1970s (left)
Paul agreed to pay Sharon (right) £3 a week alimony from his £11 a week wage package and how his mother Mary had scolded him for getting a woman pregnant – though she clearly blamed Diane (left )
In his autobiography, The Devil Rides Out, Paul describes both poignantly and humorously how he felt after Sharon’s birth.
He wrote of how he went to visit mother and baby at the hospital, saying, “A smiling nurse showed me a shiny ward where Diane lay in the middle bed of a row of three, next to the tiny newborns in their cots.
“Nervous as I approached the bed next to Diane’s, I felt the blood rush to my cheeks as I became aware that the eyes of all the new moms and nurses on the ward were on me.
O’Grady’s latest photo, taken a few days ago, showed the icon posing with a dog in Edinburgh, where he was performing in a stage production of the musical Annie
For The Love Of Dogs: Paul O’Grady’s final TV appearance will air next month when the new series For the Love of Dogs is shown on ITV, the channel has confirmed
They were all waiting to get a kick out of seeing a young father’s reaction to the first sight of his newborn child.
“Diane, sitting on the bed, her face turning as bright red as mine, was as embarrassed by the situation as I was. She quickly said, “Why don’t you take a look at her?”
Paul recalled how he initially went to the wrong bed and wrote how another mother had said, “You’re looking at the wrong baby, mate.
‘That’s mine, yours is over there. This pleased the mothers and nurses, causing them to start howling with laughter, and I rushed to my own child to look at my own, feeling more like Carabosse than a loving father.
“Well, what do you think?” Diane asked, still unable to look at me. I wasn’t quite sure what to think. Amazed? Confused? Or just nothing? Could this tiny object with the wrinkled face and tight fists really be my own flesh and blood?
“I waited, hoping for a wave of fatherly love as I nervously lifted her out of bed. She was a sweet little thing, yet I felt distant. I was ashamed of myself. What was wrong with me? Didn’t I come from a loving, stable family?’
Showbiz legend: His partner Andre Portasio confirmed that the legendary presenter and radio star passed away ‘unexpectedly but peacefully’ on Tuesday evening
Passion: Paul was known for his comedic humor and alter ego as Lily Savage, but later in life he hosted family favourite, For The Love Of Dogs, which encapsulated his own passion for animals with raising awareness for rehoming rescue dogs
He also recalled the argument he and Diane had had about naming the baby, writing: ‘When the baby was old enough we took her to be registered.
“There had been a dispute between us about a suitable name. I wanted to call her gypsy, Diane had other ideas and understandably put my foot down, adamant that she would be called Sharon, which I found boring.
“I can just hear you,” I sneered. “Sharrrin, gerrin fer ya tea.” “I don’t talk very well, you know, and I don’t care what you say, I don’t call her Gypsy, it sounds like a poodle’s name.”
“So it was Sharon, but as a consolation prize I got to choose her middle name, provided it was sensible.
“I chose Lee, whether it was behind Lee Remick, who I had a crush on at the time, or Gypsy Rose Lee, I can’t really remember.”
Paul agreed to pay Sharon alimony of £3 a week from his £11 a week wage package and how his mother Mary had scolded him for getting a woman pregnant – though she clearly blamed Diane.
Loss: Paul passed away in his bed with Andre by his side, it emerged today, as grief-stricken friends and family described the beloved star’s final hours
In his book, he wrote how she told him, “Oh Paul, imagine some predatory middle-aged woman getting her claws into you.”
She continued, “Twenty-seven, nine years older than you? Nine years! And please tell me who is this Jezebel who preys on idiotic young fellows?’
Speaking in 2021, Paul reflected on how he was mentally ill-prepared for parenthood when he was so young, saying he “just wasn’t rested” when Sharon was born.
Although he compared himself to a five-year-old boy at the time, Paul admitted that despite being 18, Sharon was of high school age before they properly met and got to know each other.
They got close then, though he joked that Sharon held her own — saying she “has a mouth for her.”
But despite the initial misgivings, Paul remained in close contact with Sharon and Diane – both of whom still live in Liverpool – and his daughter was invited to his Buckingham Palace inquest in 2008.
He also gave her away at her wedding and Paul recalled, “It was a really great day. Sharon looked fantastic and Philip is a great guy. They fit together like a pan and a lid.’
Paul had two grandchildren Abel, 16, and Halo, 14, whom he adored and in December he posted a photo of Abel to his Instagram, adding, “This little monster is 16 today. Happy birthday Abel. I love GanGanxxx’.
In another interview, Paul said, “My grandchildren add the greatest reward of fatherhood. I became a father when I was 17 and didn’t really see my daughter much when she was little.
“But I did it with the grandkids to watch them grow up, it’s just amazing. I think my God, I’ve kept the chain turning.’
Sharon added, “Mum is very upset. We’re all devastated.’