Paul O’Grady on close friend Cilla Black’s untimely death: ‘I couldn’t believe it’

Paul O'Grady has opened up about long term friend Cilla Black's passing

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by Jessica Anais Rach |
Published on

TV presenter Paul appeared on Loose Women this morning and described the moment he was told Cilla had passed away.

"I couldn't believe it when I got the phone call, the press rang me up to tell me, and that's always the worst way to find out...and even now I sort of think, 'Oh, she's either in Barbados or Spain'," he admitted.

Remembering the times they spent together, Paul, 60, added:

"We used to go clubbing, we'd go on holiday together, spoke to her all the time, and even now I think, 'I must ring Cilla and tell her that'".

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And he admits the moment he was asked to speak at the funeral was particularly hard.

"I sat there and I thought, 'I don't know what to say', and I thought I'll sort of suss the venue out, and of course I get in, so you've got the Bishop of Liverpool on the alter, full Requiem Mass, and I thought 'I'm gonna swear, I am going to swear with nerves'...so I sat there and I had no idea what I was going to say", the comedian revealed.

Cilla passed away at her home in Spain on August 1, aged 72 after suffering a stroke.

Tom Jones and Sir Cliff Richard were among the stars who paid tribute to the Blind Date presenter at her funeral.

ITV’s Loose Women is on weekdays at 12.30pm.

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