Sir Billy Connolly behaves in a “certain way” around his children as he doesn’t want them to feel sympathy for him.
Sir Billy Connolly behaves in a ‘certain way’ around his children
The legendary Scottish comedian has suffered from Parkinson’s disease since 2013 but admits that he wants to do his best for his children – Jamie, 52, and Cara, 48, with his former partner Iris Pressagh and Daisy, 37, Amy, 35, and Scarlett, 33, with his wife Pamela Stephenson.
Speaking in the ITV documentary, ‘Billy Connolly: My Absolute Pleasure’, which aired on Boxing Day (26.12.21), he said: “Parkinson’s disease has taken a lot from me. I can’t play the banjo anymore. It’s just a noise. I can’t yodel anymore. I can’t smoke cigars. It’s taken more and more of what I like – it’s kind of painful.
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“But you have to have a Glasgow attitude and say, ‘Oh, you think you’ve got me beat, try this for size.’ I just deal with it. If I fall, I fall.
“I have to behave in a certain way so my children don’t think I’m a dead loss and so they don’t feel sorry for me.”
Billy, 79, admitted that he contemplates death often and sees it as a necessary part of life’s journey.
He explained: “I think about death a lot, not in an excessive amount, but every day. I’ve seen people die and it’s OK. It’s not painful. You just go away and it’s gone. You exhale. It’s nothing to be frightened of. It’s just the next step.
“It’s better to be bright and optimistic and have a laugh. You pass this way but once.
“I sound like an end-of-the-pier preacher, but be thoughtful and kind and it’ll come back to you. There’s only one love. That’s all there is.”
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