Paul O Grady

Television personality Paul O'Grady has taken his legendary love of animals one step further by spearheading a new range of healthy and affordable dog food. The former chat show host has teamed up with veterinary surgeons to produce a selection of high-nutrition, low-price dog food for Burgess.

Since presenting For the Love of Dogs since 2012, helping Battersea Dogs' Home to find new homes for abandoned pets, the Birkenhead-born star felt it was time to come up with a good-value doggie menu that everyone could afford. He announced plans for his Paul O'Grady No Nasties dog food in June.

Pet food manufacturer Burgess had approached the star to ask if he would get on-board with their project, and O'Grady jumped at the chance of having a hand in a range of food with no nasty ingredients, including hypoallergenic selections for dogs with sensitive digestive systems.

Career path

This is the latest in a long line of business ventures for the 62-year-old star, who has been in the public eye since he appeared in a supporting role in police drama series The Bill between 1988 and 1990.

His career has taken many twists and turns, as he worked for the Department of Health and Social Security as a clerical assistant when he first left school at 16. However, when he was 23, he entered the world of show business with a drag act, developing the stage persona, Lily Savage.

He toured on the gay circuit with the Lily Savage character, both in the UK and abroad, until he got his big television break. After his early role on The Bill, other TV appearances came thick and fast. He hosted his own late-night chat show, The Lily Savage Show, followed by a stint hosting the game show, Blankety Blank.

He went on to win the Television Personality of the Year Award 2002, with his bubbly and charismatic personality charming his guests.

Chat show

This led to his own mainstream show on ITV, The Paul O'Grady Show, beginning in 2004, when he dropped the Lily Savage persona and hosted it as himself.

It ran for 15 series in total, during which O'Grady invited a multitude of celebrity guests to join him. The show had a friendly, down-to-earth feel, due to the host's chatty presenting style - as if he was talking to a friend.

He always had one of his pet dogs on the show with him including Buster, his Bichon Frise and Shih Tzu cross-breed, followed by his Cairn terrier, Olga, after Buster's death in 2009.

Unfortunately for fans, he has said he'll never return to host another series of The Paul O'Grady Show, claiming too many stars these days go on a chat show only to promote something. He recalled some of his favourite guests, such as author Jilly Cooper and actress Jackie Collins.

He particularly enjoyed interviewing them, because they answered all the questions honestly and had "no filter", according to O'Grady. He criticised the modern way of going on a chat show purely to plug a new book or film, with stars who won't answer some questions and are hesitant in case they say the "wrong" thing.

Dog kennels

He says he rarely does studio shows these days, joking he is usually to be found "out in the muck with animals" and "crawling round in the dog kennels".

O'Grady certainly seems to have found his niche on television with For the Love of Dogs, having fronted the series for six years and been instrumental in rehoming hundreds of dogs.

In launching the new dog food with Burgess, he said he had been spurred into doing so because he had become increasingly concerned with animals' welfare, after seeing first-hand the state of some of the abandoned dogs brought into Battersea Dogs' Home.



Personal life

In his personal life, he was close friends with the late Cilla Black. He had known her for many years and became her successor as the new presenter of Blind Date. When he began hosting the show in 2017, he spoke of how he had "missed Cilla terribly" following her death in 2015.

He also lists former Carry On and EastEnders star Barbara Windsor among his close friends. He interviewed her on The Paul O'Grady Show in 2008 and earlier this year, he spoke of her battle with Alzheimer's disease, describing her as a "toughie" and saying of her many friends, "We're all here for her."

Throughout his whole career, O'Grady has made no secret of the fact that he loves animals - it isn't just dogs! In 1999, when his success enabled him to buy a new country house in Kent, he opened a smallholding and took in many animals, including goats.

Animal welfare

He will always do whatever he can to help an animal in need, which is why so many people love and admire him so much. He got one of his own dogs from Battersea Dogs' Home - Eddie, a Jack Russell crossed with a Chihuahua.

When you run a dogs' home such as Battersea, it's essential to have the appropriate storage solutions for the tons of animal foods required by the shelter. Even if you're a private individual who has dogs and other pets, it's important their food is kept in a hygienic environment.

Solent Plastics offers a range of storage solutions for dog food, dog toys, dog treats and other animal foods and accessories. Please feel free to browse our website to see our full range of storage options.