The British Soap Awards viewers are moved to tears by 'beautiful' Paul O'Grady ... trends now
The British Soap Awards paid a touching tribute to former host Paul O'Grady during Tuesday's ceremony following his tragic death at the age of 67.
The presenter and longtime Corrie fan featured among a slew of soap stars who were honoured during the In Memorian segment.
The tribute featured a clip of Paul when he hosted the Soap Awards in 2004 and 2005, earning a huge cheer as he arrived on stage, before lauding serial dramas for the comfort and escape they offer to viewers,
It was branded 'beautiful' by soap fans, with some admitting they were moved to tears by the tribute.
One tweeted: 'Still can't watch any footage of Paul O'Grady without bursting into tears,' while another added: 'Nice touch adding the fabulous Paul O'Grady.'
Lovely: The British Soap Awards paid a touching tribute to former host Paul O'Grady during Tuesday's ceremony following his tragic death at the age of 67
Sweet: The presenter and longtime Corrie fan featured among a slew of soap stars who were honoured during the In Memorian segment
A third tweeted: 'Paul O'Grady... still so sad I can't believe he's gone,' with another posting: 'Aww the tribute to Paul O'Grady, still can't believe he's gone.'
In March, Paul's partner Andre Portasio shared that he had passed away 'unexpectedly but peacefully'.
He said: 'It is with great sadness that I inform you that Paul has passed away unexpectedly but peacefully yesterday evening.
'We ask, at this difficult time, that whilst you celebrate his life you also respect our privacy as we come to terms with this loss.
'He will be greatly missed by his loved ones, friends, family, animals and all those who enjoyed his humour, wit and compassion.
'I know that he would want me to thank you for all the love you have shown him over the years.'
The couple were married during a low-key wedding ceremony in 2017 .
Paul's cause death was later confirmed as sudden cardiac arrhythmia.
Stellar: The tribute featured a clip of Paul when he hosted the Soap Awards in 2004 and 2005, earning a huge cheer as he arrived on stage
Lovely: Many viewers admitted they were moved to tears by the touching tribute
During Paul's career, he hosted The Paul O'Grady Show, Blind Date and Blankety Blank, as well as ITV's multi-award-winning For The Love Of Dogs. He also hosted ITV celebrity game show, Paul O'Grady's Saturday Night Line Up.
The British Soap Awards saw a whole host of famous faces collect gongs for their work, with EastEnders winning the coveted Best Soap prize, while Charlotte Jordan triumphed in Best Dramatic Performance for playing Daisy Midgeley in Coronation Street.
The soap won Villain of the Year for Aaron Thiara, who plays Ravi Gulati, and Best Young Performer, which went to Lillia Turner as Lily Slater.
Coronation Street won the most accolades of the night, with six prizes including for Best Single Episode and Scene of the Year for the show's depiction of an acid attack carried out by Justin Rutherford (Andrew Still), who had been stalking Daisy Midgeley (Charlotte Jordan).
Charlotte won Best Dramatic Performance, while the show's Dame Maureen Lipman, who plays Evelyn Plummer, won Best Comedy Performer and
