I'm not saying I'm a show-off but give me a stage and an audience and I'm as happy as a flea on a dog

Paul O'Grady

He made regular guest appearances on This Morning, as both himself and his drag queen persona.

O'Grady also continued stage work, playing the role of Miss Hannigan in Annie and starring in the musical version of TV series Prisoner Cell Block H .

He once admitted: "I'm not saying I'm a show-off but give me a stage and an audience and I'm as happy as a flea on a dog."

The fast-talking drag queen's appeal led to Lily becoming the host of the Blankety Blank game show, taking over after comic Les Dawson died.

The show's title was changed to take in the star's name, becoming known as Lily Savage's Blankety Blank and the show transferred from the BBC to ITV1 in 2001.

Recently O'Grady has been leaving the blonde wig behind to host other shows as himself.

Depression

He recently completed two travel series, in Asia and the US, and this weekend he hosted ITV1's Screen Tests of the Stars - a programme recorded before he became ill.

In what came as a surprise to many of his fans, O'Grady admitted recently that he was suffering from depression due to a heavy workload.

O'Grady helped comfort Cilla Black after the death of her husband

He said he beat his depression through exercise by swimming and running every day.

O'Grady, who is divorced and has a grown-up daughter Sharyn, is a close friend of fellow entertainer Cilla Black and comforted her after her husband Bobby died of liver cancer.

Last November more than 11 million TV viewers watched the pair do a raunchy dance routine in front of the Queen at the Royal Variety Performance.