Sir Billy Connolly has opened up about the moment his life changed forever — the day he was told he had both Parkinson’s disease and prostate cancer. Diagnosed back in 2013, the Scottish icon has since retired from comedy and turned his attention to art, producing 11 collections in his post-performance years.
Now 82, Connolly has candidly reflected on his journey through illness, retirement, and acceptance. In 2019, he acknowledged the reality of his condition, saying that life was “slipping away” from him. He spoke openly about losing parts of himself — his memory, balance, hearing, and energy — but insisted that he views it all as part of a larger adventure.
“I’m 75, I’m near the end. But it doesn’t frighten me,” he said at the time. “It’s quite interesting to see myself slipping away.”
The moment he received his diagnoses remains etched in his memory. In a moving recollection, Connolly described how his wife, Pamela Stephenson, stood beside him as he learned he had both cancer and Parkinson’s. Yet, he remained calm. “She gave me a cuddle. But I was not unduly worried,” he said.
He later shared that the same week brought more than just devastating news. “It was a funny week. Monday: hearing aids. Tuesday: pills for heartburn. Wednesday: prostate cancer and Parkinson’s,” he recalled with a touch of gallows humour.
Despite the immense challenges, Connolly found strength in perspective. “You realise death is not the big thing everyone has made it out to be. It’s just a sudden nothing,” he explained. Though he was later given the all-clear from cancer, the battle with Parkinson’s remains ongoing.
Through it all, Connolly continues to face life with honesty, courage and a deeply moving sense of peace.
