Thornberry Animal Sanctuary pays tribute to much-loved Paul O'Grady following shock death

Jed Jenkins-Omar, fundraising manager at the sanctuary, which rescues and rehomes animals, paid tribute to O’Grady, who spent many years campaigning for animal welfare.

He said: “Through television and in real life, Paul O’Grady did a lot of positive work shining a light on animal rescue and he really helped to bring attention to it into the mainstream.

“For many people, if you ask them to associate a celebrity with animal rescue then they will most definitely say Paul O’Grady.”

The TV star had a lengthy career as a comedian and was well known for his drag queen persona Lily Savage, before moving into presenting.

It was in his later life that he became known for his love for animals presenting TV shows such as ITV’s ‘For the Love of Dogs’ which ran for 10 years.

The award winning documentary series was set in Battersea Dogs and Cats Home and saw O’Grady follow various dogs and their progress through the home with many of them being rehomed.

Following the first series of the show, O’Grady was invited to become an ambassador for Battersea Dogs and Cats Home.

Mr Jenkins-Omar, from Thornberry added: “Everyone at Thornberry would like to pass their condolences on to Paul’s family and friends and we are sure that he is sitting over the Rainbow bridge being welcomed by lots of beautiful animals.”