Irish comedian Graham Norton has revealed that he scattered the ashes of his two beloved dogs in Ireland in a moving interview.
The BBC chat host lives in England but also has a home in Ireland, where the two dogs spent many happy hours playing.
Sadly, he lost both of his pets within months of each other during the coronavirus lockdown.
Norton’s rescue dog Madge died over Christmas while labradoodle Bailey passed away in the following summer.
He decided to scatter the ashes at the garden their Irish home.
The star said: “It was horrible when they went, but they were ancient and it was amazing they lived as long as they did.
“They had good lives.
“Madge died at Christmas in 2019 and then Bailey died [in July 2020], so there was a lot of dog death in a very short space of time.
“They loved the house Ireland, so I scattered their ashes there under a tree in the garden, and I’ve nailed a little wooden B and M to the tree. It’s cute.”
Norton has been back living in his Co Cork home while he works on a TV adaption of his bestselling novel Holding.
Despite his background as an actor, the presenter is not interested in returning to his thespian roots.
He said: “I realise when I watch the rushes of Holding and I see how many takes they do – I just think ‘Thank God I’m not doing that’.
“Because even if it’s something you want to do, even if it’s something you really believe in, you might have spent the whole day pouring a cup of tea and putting it down.
“I mean, it’s just… no, it’s not something I want to do. I want to watch TV drama – I don’t need to be in it. I’m very happy doing my chat show.”