Lily Savage has op after heart attack

Comedian Paul O'Grady, better known to TV viewers as Lily Savage, suffered a heart attack early today at his home near Tower Bridge.

After a two-hour operation at an unnamed London hospital this morning the star, a heavy drinker and smoker, was described as being in a "comfortable" condition.

O'Grady, 46, whose wickedly high-camp antics have made his female alter-ego a household name, experienced sharp chest pains at around 3am and immediately phoned his manager and agent of 18 years, Brendan Murphy.

Mr Murphy said: "I got straight over there and Paul told me he thought he was having a heart attack. I called 999 straight away.

"It seemed very severe and he was in a great deal of pain but fortunately the emergency services responded very quickly and the A&E department were brilliant."

Mr Murphy said he did not know details of O'Grady's surgery, but added: "They say he is comfortable, or I suppose as comfortable as can be expected. He has an amazing amount of wires attached to him."

A spokesman for Thames Television said O'Grady is expected to make a full recovery.

The Birkenhead-born comedian spent many years as a social worker before developing Lily Savage, the baroquely dressed, platinum blonde, dirtymouthed presenter of shows from the Big Breakfast to Blankety Blank.

More recently O'Grady has eschewed his collection of wigs to produce a series of travel programmes.

Mr Murphy said today that his client's heart attack came as a complete surprise, adding: "He has never suffered anything like it before, but there is a history of heart disease in Paul's family - and he is a smoker."

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