Billy Connolly says his Parkinson’s is the ‘first thing I think about when I wake up’ as he reveals how he is still adapting to life with the condition but says he could make a return to live stand-up
- The 76-year-old comedian was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2013
- During his stand-up career, Sir Billy famous for his energetic presence on stage
- Symptoms of the disease include decreased mobility and difficulty speaking
- Sir Billy – known as the Big Yin – said come back not entirely out of the question
Billy Connolly says his Parkinson’s is ‘the first thing I think about when I wake up’ as he revealed he is still adapting to life with the condition, and could even make a return to live stand-up.
The comedian, 76, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2013 and announced his retirement from live performing five years later.
During his glittering stand-up career, Sir Billy was famous for his energetic presence on stage.
The comedian, 76, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2013 and announced his retirement from live performing five years later
But Sir Billy, pictured performing in the 1980s said a come back is not entirely out of the question
Symptoms of Parkinson’s disease include decreased mobility and difficulty speaking, leaving him unable to perform as he had in his pomp.
But Sir Billy – known as The Big Yin – said a come back is not entirely out of the question.
He told The Sunday Telegraph: ‘I’ve been floating between being retired and maybe doing it again. Perhaps the opportunity will arise, but it hasn’t arisen yet, where I’ll be asked to do something and I’ll do it.
I almost did it for the Parkinson’s Society in the Albert Hall. I said yes, and then I changed my mind.’
The popular funnyman said part of the issue was his reluctance to be defined by his condition.
Billy Connolly performing ‘The South Bank Show’ in May 1979. The comedian is currently retired from performing
He told the newspaper: ‘I refuse to let it represent me, that I have Parkinson’s. I’m a lot of things as well as that.
‘I went to a Parkinson’s Society lunch in Florida [where he moved last year for the climate, at the insistence of Stephenson, turning his back on New York, his long-time home, and its winters] and it was all people shaking and f******* about.
‘I thought, God, I’m going to be like that. This isn’t healthy. I don’t find it healthy to swim in Parkinson’s.’
He added that Parkinson’s – which is a progressive neurological condition – is the ‘first thing I think about when I wake up.
‘And then you can’t get out of bed. You have to get your wife to pull you out. But some mornings, I think about it the second – they’re good days.
‘And you always manage to get out of bed yourself. And you draw better [since 2012 he has published four collections of his drawings]. And get about your life better.’
Another concern Sir Billy has about returning to live performance is recognition that his mind ‘works differently.’
He told the BBC: ‘I may do another gig, I don’t know, I haven’t cancelled that idea. But not right now, I’m not ready.
‘I feel different, my mind works differently. I don’t know if I can do it with my mind in the state that it’s in.
‘And I drool. This is a recent one. It’s another gorgeous side of Parkinson’s disease. There’s a little surprise every month.’