Paul O’Grady has paid tribute to "Mr Showbiz" Dale Winton in a heart-warming open letter as he reminisced on their party days, his famous tan and his sweet nature.
The 62-year-old comedian – who found fame playing his comedic drag queen character Lily Savage – has recalled the fun times he and the ‘Supermarket Sweep’ presenter had with their late friend Cilla Black on the town over 20 years ago.
Writing a memorial piece for Dale in the Daily Mirror newspaper, he said: "When I think of Dale, I think of Mr Showbiz.
"Out there, giving it all, with a big smile and the tan. He always insisted on getting that glow. He really embraced being in the public eye and absolutely loved it.
"One time, 20 years ago, he was the one making sure Cilla was in bed early and I was the bad one who was out partying until 5am. It was a joke between the three of us, he was Nurse Winton and I was Nurse Savage."
The ‘For the Love of Dogs’ host will never forget Dale’s "cheerful" smile as he posed for photographs with his adoring fans and he was in awe of how humble he was.
He explained: "Whenever I saw Dale he was cheerful, walking down the street chatting to everybody. I remember him saying to me: ‘I’m so lucky, darling.’
"It wasn’t something he took for granted and he didn’t have a bad bone in his body. It amazed me he had so much time for members of the public who wanted to speak to him and wanted pictures with him. He never shunned anybody and thought it was part of the job. Dale was great fun to work with because he was always so jolly."
He concluded his letter with: "He will be missed by so many."
Dale sadly passed away at his home on Wednesday (18.04.18) at the age of just 62.
A post-mortem into his death has been ordered by Scotland Yard but the police have confirmed that they’re not treating his passing as suspicious – although "unexplained."
Paul O’Grady calls pal Dale Winton ‘Mr Showbiz’ in open letter
