Paul O’Grady was taken to hospital after lying in the gutter with stray dogs in India while filming his latest TV show.

The 62-year-old was in Dehli recording scenes for his new four-part ITV series For The Love Of Dogs: India when he discovered two puppies bitten by rats, he told the Daily Express’ Saturday Magazine.

O’Grady was attempting to clean their wounds and clear them of maggots before he became ill.

TV presenter Paul O’Grady has shared his fears that he is ‘running out of lives’ after falling seriously ill while filming in India (Ian West/PA)

He told the magazine: “It was my own fault. You don’t lie in the gutter in Delhi with street dogs. There were two little pups that had been bitten by a rat.

“Inside the wound were maggots and I was flicking them out while feeding the dogs by hand.

“Of course the dogs were licking me and I forgot and I was touching my face. That night I started vomiting. A doctor came and he said I had to go into hospital because I was dehydrated.”

Paul O’Grady arrives at the Battersea Dogs’ Collars and Coats Gala fundraising ball at the Battersea Evolution Marquee, London (Daniel Leal-Olivas/PA)

O’Grady had a high temperature, a fever and was delirious, with doctors telling him he was so dehydrated he was heading for renal failure.

He received emergency treatment, with medics hooking him up to a saline drip to rehydrate him.

They also gave him antibiotics.

Dehli, the second most populous city in the world, is thought to be home to 400,000 stray dogs.

O’Grady is a well-known dog lover and presents the National Television Award-winning For The Love Of Dogs.