Paul said, I won't be here, so do whatever you want to say goodbye

STAR'S BEST PAL REVEALS HOW HE WANTED JOY AT HIS FUNERAL

- PATRICK HILL

TELLY star Paul O'Grady spent a lifetime making people smile and told friends he wanted his send-off to be full of laughter too.

Paul, who died suddenly last Tuesday, revealed his wishes to his best friend Amanda Mealing.

Former Casualty star Amanda, 55, said in an exclusive interview: "Whatever happens, Paul's funeral will be a celebration of his life and it will be full of laughter.

"He just told us to have a good time - he'd hate it if everyone was mawkish and morose. He would just say, 'I don't care, I won't be here! Do whatever you want".

CURSE

In a moving chat, Amanda also:

• Revealed plans for TWO funerals and a possible tribute back home on Merseyside.
• Told how she learned of his death in a lam text. It came days after her last chat with Paul about how to remove a curse!
• Said her great pal lived "67 lives full of adventures" in his 67 years.
• Told how days of tears had turned to laughter as loved ones recalled happy times with Paul.

Amanda was pals with Paul for 35 years and lovingly called him Savage after his drag queen alter-ego Lily Savage.

Of his send-off, she said: "There may be two funerals.

"A small private one and a big one in a very grand place for those outside the family. I would think it'll be in London.

"Then everyone can come to that and it gives people a chance to fly in. There are ongoing conversations.

"We've also been asking, 'Can we do something in Liverpool?' because obviously they very much feel he's their baby. It's so difficult."  Amanda learned of Paul's death in a text from his husband Andre Portasio in the early hours of Wednesday. She raced to the couple's farmhouse in Aldington, Kent, to comfort 41-year-old Andre.