Camilla and Paul could talk, laugh, and be normal..she sent me two heartfelt letters when he died

Sometimes it's a song or even the smell of something delicious wafting from the kitchen that suddenly reminds Andre of his husband Paul.

- TOMBRYANT

At other times, the stark reality of the star's absence is right there in front of his eyes.

"Just before he died, Paul started painting pictures of lavender on the ceiling of our guest cottage," Andre explains. "He painted one side but to this day, the other side is still unfinished."

He adds: "It makes me sad but at the same time gives me great comfort knowing that I shared my life with him." Andre takes solace too in his determination to celebrate Paul's legacy... starting with the treasure-trove of items above his head.

"There is an amazing history of items in our loft that he kept over the years that no one ever got to see, he explains.

Among them are his husband's famous Lily Savage dresses and wigs, as well as countless pieces of memorabilia.

"I used to say to him that the Lily items were a slice of history but he was always very modest and called them a lot of tat," proud Andre laughs.

"I think by the end he was very tired of having to put on all the make-up and all the practical aspects of becoming Lily although he never fully retired her and she kept making comebacks"

While Paul was alive, Andre managed to persuade him to donate the odd item to the V&A, but there are endless other pieces he is now setting aside.

"They don't belong to me, they belong to the nation," he says. "I feel the audience at large would absolutely love to see them again, and it's weighing on me very heavily how I take his legacy forward."

In the aftermath of Paul's death a year ago today, Andre was left touched by the many messages he received from all over the UK.

Among them were two heartfelt letters from Queen Camilla, who worked closely with Paul in their support of Battersea Dogs and Cats home.

"Obviously, she's the Queen of England, but for him she was just Camilla," he says. "You know, they could talk, and laugh, and just be normal with each other.