Craig Revel Horwood was reportedly left ‘choking up’ as the cast of Annie made a heartbreaking tribute to Paul O’Grady during their first show following his death.
After Paul sadly died last week, Annie halted their shows for a while out of respect for the TV legend.
Last night was their first night back on the UK tour since the sad news of Paul’s death.
However, an audience member said that things took an emotional turn during the final bows, while they were honouring the For the Love of Dogs star.
Craig Revel Horwood makes tribute to Paul O’Grady
Paul was out on the road for the UK tour of Annie as he shared the role of Miss Hannigan with Strictly star Craig.
However, last week the Lily Savage star sadly and unexpectedly died at the age of 67.
You could see him choking up while saying what he did.
After hearing the devastating news, Craig honoured his co-star in an emotional statement. He said: “I’m in a state of shock this morning. Waking up to the news that my gorgeous colleague and friend, Paul O’Grady has passed away. I’m actually reeling in disbelief. He was such a wonderful human being, funny and to the point. Paul, legend, RIP darling.”
Craig and the rest of the cast then returned to for the first time since the tragic news in Birmingham last night. And one audience member confirmed that the professional dancer was left ‘choked up’ during the final bows.
Craig ‘choked up’ during Annie’s first show since Paul O’Grady’s death
The audience member told Metro that Craig stopped the show to dedicate his performance to the late TV presenter.
They said: “After the final bows, Craig Revel Horwood addressed the audience and said they would like to dedicate this and every performance to the legend Paul O’Grady.
“There were people in the audience in tears and shouts of, ‘We love you, Paul!’. Some of the cast looked emotional but the performance under the circumstances was outstanding, especially from the young cast.”
The audience member also revealed that Craig struggled to say anything as he was ‘choking up’ and overwhelmed by his emotions.
They continued: “You could see him choking up while saying what he did. I think he found it difficult to say anything due to his emotion.”
Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know what you think of our story.