Monty Python star Sir Michael Palin has spoken out about how he has come to terms with his own mortality following the death of his beloved wife Helen Gibbins.
The Sheffield-born TV star, 81, explained he doesn't worry about kicking the bucket too much because he reckons it is 'going to happen sometime soon anyway' - so he may as well enjoy himself while he still can.
Palin also takes comfort in the fact that he will be reunited with his late wife, who passed away from kidney failure in May 2023 after suffering from chronic pain for several years.
He met Gibbins - who he described as 'the bedrock of his life' - in his teenage years while holidaying in Southwold, Suffolk, before they tied the knot in their early 20s and later welcomed three children.
Advert
The comedy legend even sweetly included their meet-cute in a BBC drama back in 1987, titled East of Ipswich.
Palin is just as sentimental these days too about his partner, as he revealed that he still has Gibbins' clothing hanging up in his home as he wants to carry on as if she is 'still here'.
But following the passing of his wife as well as some of his friends, he has been able to come to terms with death - and he is simply grateful for every day he gets.
"I’m in my eighties and lots of people don’t make it there," Palin said. "So I don’t have any great worries about death. I mean, it’s going to happen sometime soon.
"I hear people say Euston station works are going to be finished in 2033 and think, ‘Oh, I won’t be around then.’
"But I’ve got so many interests - either books I’m researching or future travel series - which make me forget about mortality."
However, this doesn't mean that dealing with his loss has been any easier.
Speaking to The Times regarding the upcoming release of his book There and Back, which features the 'fondest memories' from his diaries over the years, Palin opened up about his experience of grief.
The travel buff explained he struggles to live in their London home as it is a constant reminder of his late wife - especially when he returns to an empty house - but he also could not bear to reside anywhere else.
"It’s very odd, not having her here," Palin said.
"But that’s not just about travel. It’s about coming back from a night at the theatre or dinner and the first thing I want is to tell Helen, ‘That was crap,’ or, ‘That was wonderful.’
"I still feel quite bereft, because it’s the little things. The people we knew over such a long period whom I can’t talk about now to her. I still find that very difficult. But there we are..."
These days, the actor spends his time with his children and close pals as he isn't that great in the kitchen.
"I shared my life with someone for so long that I find it impossible to think of sharing it in the same way with anyone else again," Palin added. "So in a way, I’m sort of freer."
Olivia Burke