Paul O’Grady tried traditional Thai medicine to try and help his heart problems in his final TV project which he finished days before he died.
It was announced the broadcaster had died ‘unexpectedly but peacefully’ from sudden cardiac arrhythmia at home with his partner Andre Portasio on March 28 2023.
And now his final TV project, Paul O’Grady’s Great Elephant Adventure, is set to air over Easter on ITV, as Paul helps out at centres by caring for endangered species in the two-part series.
The documentary was filmed across Thailand and Laos in December 2022, while Paul’s voiceover work was completed in the weeks leading up to his death.
During the programme, The Mirror has revealed Paul finds himself in Chiang Mai market as he meets a doctor offering herbal medicine and decided to try them to ease his heart problems.
Paul O’Grady tried traditional heart medicine while in Thailand for his last TV project Great Elephant Adventure which was finished days before his death
During the programme, The Mirror has revealed Paul finds himself in Chiang Mai market as he meets a doctor offering herbal medicine and decided to try them to ease his heart problems
He says: ‘That’s got me thinking about my own aches and pains.
‘Look at this, like something out of Harry Potter. And this shop specialises in traditional Thai medicine. How about something for the heart? Then there are the varicose veins, the bad back, the eyesight, and a few personal things I won’t go into!’
Paul is then given powder made from part of a lotus flower and is told to add one teaspoon to water to it and drink it like tea.
As he takes a sip, Paul recoils from the taste at first but then proceeds to down the mixture and even jokes he added a ‘drop of scotch’ to it to help it go down.
Earlier this week, executive producer Claire Barton revealed they had more animal shows lined up for Paul before his shock passing.
She told Radio Times: ‘We planned a companion programme on the African elephant and a new series about wild dogs and wolves in Canada – both to be filmed in 2023. Paul was excited about the prospect.’
Claire also discussed how much Paul loved working with the elephants, as she said the star declared he was ‘in heaven’ working with them.
She said: ‘Paul wanted to highlight the plight of elephants, which fascinated him throughout his life.
As he takes a sip, Paul recoils from the taste at first but then proceeds to down the mixture and even jokes he added a ‘drop of scotch’ to it to help it go down
The two-part series, which will be shown over Easter on ITV , will follow Paul as he helps out at centres by caring for the endangered species
While filming was completed in late 2022, it was only edited and finalized in the days before Paul’s sudden death
The series is a nod to Paul’s lifelong love of animals, after spending much of his later life filming his show, For The Love Of Dogs, at Battersea Dogs and Cats Home (pictured)
‘Little did we know that this would be the last TV series Paul would film before his death last year.’
The series will focus on the efforts of workers at the conversation centres to rescue and rehabilitate wild elephants.
While filming was completed in late 2022, it was only edited and finalized in the days before Paul’s sudden death.
In February 2023, Claire revealed how she met with Paul for meetings before he recorded voiceovers for the show.
She admitted that if they had worked at Paul’s usual the job may never have been completed, but she wrote in the Radio Times he was keen to crack on.
She wrote: ‘But Paul was flying through the commentary. For the first time in 18 years of working together, Paul suggested that he crack on and finish recording the voiceover.
‘We completed the films with Paul’s voice on them that afternoon. The date was 15 March 2023. It would be the last time I ever saw Paul.’
Paul O’Grady’s Great Elephant Adventure starts on Sunday night at 8pm on ITV and ITVX.
