‘If There's A Blind Date Wedding I'm Not Going!'

Paul O’Grady has just stepped off the plane from India when we catch up with him. He was there filming his new series that sees him helping to care for rescued animals. And along with news that he’ll soon be stepping into his best pal Cilla Black’s shoes as host of Blind Date, Paul, 61, sits down with us to chat curries, crying and his temper...

- Sue Crawford

Hi Paul! Is your new animal series going to be very moving? 

I’m in tears and I never cry on camera. I literally lost the plot with this old elephant. I couldn’t help it. He’s in a sanctuary now, but he’d been chained up for 50 years. His ears are ripped and he’s covered in terrible scars. He was malnourished and crippled with arthritis; he was in a shocking state. He’d just been brought in and he was lying down. I was talking to him and a big tear rolled out of his eye like Dumbo, and that was the end of me.

You’re quite outspoken aren’t you? 

I’m always campaigning – ranting in the street with the megaphone! But you have to speak up. If you don’t, things go unnoticed. It probably gets on people’s nerves, but the aim of this programme is to stop people taking elephant rides. If that happens, I’ll be happy.

Apparently you were a bit nervous about going to India? 

I said I didn’t want to get a bad stomach and that I’d get upset seeing the poverty, so I said I’d rather not go. I went for two weeks, and when I got there I was going mad, saying, ‘Why aren’t we staying longer?’ And the crew were all glaring at me saying, ‘Cos of you, that’s why!’

Don’t you like getting stuck into the local food?