Billy Connolly admits every day 'gets stranger' in Parkinson’s health update
It's been 10 years since much-loved Scottish comedian Billy Connolly revealed he'd been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.
And this week, the high-swearing funny-man has given his fans a glimpse into the often-harsh and realities of battling the brain disorder, which can cause unintended or uncontrollable movements, including shaking, stiffness, and difficulty with balance and coordination.
Acting superstar Billy, 80, said of the disease - the symptoms of which become increasingly severe over time - that it 'gets stranger', with the lifestyle impacts often 'creeping up' on him.
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The retired stand-up told The Times: "Every day it gets stranger and more different," adding that his newfound love for drawing, painting and sculpture has helped him navigate the mental toll of his condition.
"I don’t know how I would have coped without drawing. It’s taken me out of the scene and put me somewhere else, where I can survey it from a different angle," he said.
"Art has made my life magical at a time when I thought it would be unbearable."
When Connolly received his official diagnosis back in 2013, he was simultaneously diagnosed with both prostate cancer and gallstones in the same week.
"It was a helluva week," he previously said. "It got funny. My daughter Scarlett was with me in the ambulance on the way to the gallbladder surgery through Manhattan.
"The sirens were going – nee-naw nee-naw – and she said to me, ‘Is this your first Caribbean cruise?’ That’s a line I always said to her to make her laugh when her surroundings were awkward or boring."
The news comes just weeks after Sir Billy revealed the hilarious message he would like written on his gravestone, and the one his wife told him he couldn't have.
In an excerpt from Rambling Man: My Life on the Road, published in the Daily Telegraph, Connolly wrote what he'd like to be put on his gravestone when he does shuffle off this mortal coil.
He wrote: "I was thinking I'd like: 'Jesus Christ, is that the time already?' on mine, but my wife Pamela was shaky about it, so we settled on 'You're standing on my balls!' in tiny wee writing.
"As for me - I haven't made up my mind about my burial place, but I'm thinking that instead of a headstone, a table on an island in Loch Lomond for fishermen to picnic on would be nice."
"I used to think about death, and about the life I led, and would ask myself, ‘How will I be held responsible for it when I come to judgment before God?’ I don’t believe that any more, although the whole thing is still a mystery to me."
Connolly also poked fun at some of the more common things people get written on their gravestone, describing the epitaph 'Forever Young' as 'pish' as we're 'forever decomposing'.
He thought 'Forever Dead' would be 'more fitting', and likewise thought 'Asleep' was a load of 'hogwash'.
In the book, Connolly said he enjoyed reading the headstones in graveyards and particularly appreciated the 'funny and savage' ones, noting one he really liked which told people: "Stick your nose here and I'll set about you."
Topics: Celebrity, TV and Film, Health
Rhianna Benson