Sir Billy Connolly has admitted that his Parkinson’s Disease is “not as frightened of me as it used to be” as he appeared on The One Show on Wednesday.
The comedian was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2013 and his wife, Dr Pamela Stephenson Connolly, said earlier this year that “the challenges lately have been medical. They’re getting worse.”
After his diagnosis, Billy retired from live performances but continued to make television programmes despite his worsening condition.
Recently he admitted that he can no longer write – yet, ever the comedian, Billy began his The One Show interview by cracking a joke.
Billy and his wife Pamela discussed his disdain for the concept of dates and times: “Dates have never been important to me. It’s like telling people the height of a mountain, it doesn’t matter. Big covers it!”
Pamela responded: “What would happen if a policeman showed up and said, ‘Where were you Mr Connolly [on this day]?’”
“That’s a constant terror of mine. Like on police programmes, ‘Where were you on Thursday 14th November?’ Just whip me into jail, I wouldn’t have a clue where I was and I never will have,” Billy replied.
On the lasting impression his initial success left on his Glaswegian audience, he said: “It had had a profound effect on everyone, it was their accent. That means a lot in Scotland, it means a lot to them. They took it well.
“When I came to Glasgow, I came through the lobby of the airport and the people all burst into applause.”
When asked about how he copes living with Parkinson’s disease, Connolly replied: “It has its moments, you know? Just now, my left hand was shaking, I’ll stop it by staring at it but it doesn’t work as much anymore. It’s not as frightened of me as it used to be.”
Parkinson’s disease affects the patient’s movement and is a progressive disorder that attacks the nervous system, starting with gradual tremors in their limbs.
During a recent interview, Connolly admitted that when he thinks of death, he shakes a bracelet made out of plastic skulls that he wears daily. The skulls represent death but the bright colours add a positive twist: “I find that takes the scare away.”
While chatting about what he thinks awaits us on the other side the comedian said: “I’m sure there’s something. I’m sure there’s something. In recent years, I’ve just got a feeling that there is. That we don’t just turn to s***e. Maybe this is my refusal to accept something so mundane.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
