Repair Shop restores Paul O’Grady trunk for Birkenhead show 2026

Key Points

• Andre Portasio, the husband of deceased Paul O’Grady, had his huge travelling trunk restored by Chris Shaw of The Repair Shop.
• This particular trunk belonged to the renowned burlesque performer Gypsy Rose Lee, and was purchased by O’Grady at an American auction.
• The trunk held personal belongings, such as photographs, a wedding invitation, and the Battersea Dogs & Cats Home ambassador certificate that O’Grady held.
• The restored trunk would be part of a grand exhibition dedicated to O’Grady at the Williamson Art Gallery in Birkenhead on 11 December 2026.
• The episode of the show aired on BBC One’s The Repair Shop: Beyond the Barn on 16 September 2026.

Birkenhead (Liverpool standard) September 16, 2026 — A sentimental travel trunk that belonged to the late entertainer Paul O’Grady has been restored by experts from BBC One’s The Repair Shop ahead of a major exhibition in his hometown of Birkenhead. The item, described by O’Grady’s husband Andre Portasio as “very important”, was repaired by bookbinder Chris Shaw and will form a centrepiece of the free show at the Williamson Art Gallery, scheduled to open on 11 December 2026.

What was restored on The Repair Shop for Paul O’Grady’s husband?

The item taken to The Repair Shop was a large, vintage steamer trunk that had once belonged to American burlesque performer Gypsy Rose Lee before being acquired by O’Grady at an auction in the United States. In the episode broadcast on 16 September 2026, Chris Shaw examined the trunk in the workshop and noted it was “looking a bit worse for wear”, with broken pieces “all over the place”.

Andre Portasio explained in a cutaway interview that the trunk had been kept in “pride of place” at the entrance to the home he shared with O’Grady. He told the programme:

“It’s a very important travel trunk. This belonged to my late husband, Paul O’Grady. He began his career as a drag queen in the gay London scene. He then went on to become mainstream.”

What was inside Paul O’Grady’s travel trunk?

Portasio said he did not know the full contents of the trunk until after O’Grady’s death in 2023. Upon opening it, he found it held “very personal memories”, including a photograph of the couple on a roller coaster, an invitation to their wedding and a certificate confirming O’Grady’s role as an ambassador for Battersea Dogs & Cats Home.

“It became very clear to me that it needed some repairing,”

Portasio said, adding that the condition of the trunk only became apparent once he saw what was inside.

How did The Repair Shop restore the trunk?

Chris Shaw led the restoration, describing the work as a “big team effort” involving multiple specialists in the barn. The episode showed the trunk being carefully taken apart, stabilised and reassembled so that it could be safely displayed.

After the work was completed, Shaw travelled to Birkenhead to present the finished item to Portasio. Inspecting the restored trunk, Portasio said:

“Tell me, how talented are you? Absolutely incredible.”

Where will the restored trunk be displayed?

The trunk will be included in a major exhibition dedicated to O’Grady at the Williamson Art Gallery in Birkenhead, Merseyside. The show, titled You Gotta Get a Gimmick: The Paul O’Grady Story, is due to open on 11 December 2026 and run until 31 December 2027.

Portasio confirmed the trunk would be “a major part of the exhibition”. He said of his late husband’s likely reaction: “He would have loved it, absolutely loved it.”

What else will be in the Paul O’Grady exhibition?

In addition to the restored trunk, the exhibition will feature around 40 costumes from O’Grady’s career, selected from a larger archive of more than 200 outfits. The garments span his early performances as Lily Savage in pubs and clubs through to his work on television shows such as Blankety Blank and The Lily Savage Show, as well as West End productions.

Portasio, who has been curating the display, said: “Every costume tells a story and is an insight into Paul as a person and an entertainer.” He added that the exhibition is intended as “a love letter to Paul’s fans” and that opening it in Merseyside “feels like he is coming home”.

Personal items from the couple’s shared home and from O’Grady’s archive will also be shown. Portasio has said he hopes to include a cast of O’Grady’s hands so visitors can “touch them, celebrate him and perhaps say a final goodbye”.

Who is Andre Portasio and what has he said about grief?

Andre Portasio, 46, was with O’Grady for 18 years and married him in 2017. O’Grady died at the age of 67 in March 2023 from a sudden cardiac arrhythmia at their home in Kent.

In interviews, Portasio has spoken about the ongoing impact of his loss. “Grief isn’t linear, there are good days and bad days,” he said, adding that he still sometimes feels as if O’Grady might “sweep into the room”. He described sorting through the wardrobe as a “bittersweet” process, noting that the costume O’Grady wore as Miss Hannigan in Annie was particularly difficult to confront because it was from his final performance before his death.

Portasio has also said he is working to establish a charitable trust in O’Grady’s memory to support community projects and causes the entertainer cared about, including animal welfare. He hopes the exhibition will help “kick start the trust” and assist him in his grief.

Background to the Paul O’Grady exhibition development

The exhibition follows years of public tributes to O’Grady after his sudden death in 2023. Born in Birkenhead, he first performed as Lily Savage in the late 1970s in gay venues, pubs and working men’s clubs before becoming a mainstream television personality in the 1990s and 2000s. He was awarded an MBE in 2008 for services to entertainment and was a long-standing supporter of Battersea Dogs & Cats Home.

Portasio has said he began discussing what to do with O’Grady’s extensive costume collection before the entertainer’s death, and that he feels a responsibility to ensure his husband is remembered. The decision to stage the show at the Williamson Art Gallery places the exhibition in O’Grady’s hometown and aligns with Portasio’s description of the project as bringing him “home”.

The Repair Shop: Beyond the Barn episode focusing on the trunk aired as part of the BBC One schedule for the week of 14–20 September 2026, with listings confirming Chris Shaw’s restoration of “Paul O’Grady’s trunk”.

Prediction: how could this development affect fans and the local community?

The restoration of the trunk and its inclusion in the Birkenhead exhibition is likely to deepen public engagement with O’Grady’s legacy, particularly among LGBTQIA+ communities and local residents who identify with his roots on the Wirral. By combining restored personal objects with costumes and archive material, the show offers a tangible connection to O’Grady’s life and career, which may encourage visitors to reflect on his role in increasing LGBTQIA+ visibility in British entertainment.

For fans, the exhibition could serve as a focal point for collective remembrance and celebration, potentially increasing visitor numbers to the Williamson Art Gallery and related cultural sites in Birkenhead. For Portasio, the project may provide a structured way to channel grief into public commemoration and charitable activity, especially if the planned trust gains momentum alongside the exhibition. Over time, the display could become a reference point for researchers and journalists documenting O’Grady’s contribution to comedy, television and queer cultural history.