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Billy Connolly has given a frank update on his health in his newly-released book, The Accidental Artist.
The 81-year-old Scottish comedian, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2013, has shared an insight into how he is enjoying retirement while fishing and drawing at his home in Florida Keys.
Parkinson’s is a brain disorder that causes unintended or uncontrollable movements, such as shaking, stiffness, and difficulty with balance and coordination. Often, the disease can become more severe over time.
Connolly’s new book contains a selection of his most loved stories, his own drawings, and musings on maintaining a positive outlook about his health.
Discussing his diagnosis in his book, which was published on 24 October, the comedian writes: “The Parkinson’s just rumbles along, doing its thing. It bothered me for a while but when I think about it I suppose I’m lucky I didn’t get something worse because I was a welder.”
In the Sixties, Connolly worked as a welder in shipyards in Glasgow, but gave it up to pursue his career in entertainment.
“The diseases they talk about now due to welding weren’t known about when I was in the shipyards,” he said. “They didn’t know about the hazards of asbestos. And men were always dying in accidents too. I was in an accident myself. I fell off the ship into the Clyde, dropped 40 feet into three feet of water and broke my ankle.”
“I probably shouldn’t have escaped but I did. Maybe what doesn’t kill you f***s you up for life but at least I’m still here. I’m fishing happily in Florida and I’m not yet dead or broken.”
After retiring from stand-up, Connolly has focused his attention on drawing – a newfound hobby that he took up while bored in a hotel room in Montreal.
“My drawings started by accident. I was on tour in Montreal a few years ago and found myself sheltering from the pishing rain in an art store,” writes Connolly. “I went in to get dry and came out with an armful of felt-tip pens and a sketchbook, then went straight back to my hotel room and started to draw. I’ve never looked back.”
Connolly has found success in sharing his artwork with fans, but explained in the book’s foreword that he’s found it difficult to deal with attending his own exhibitions.
“I’ve met people who collect my stuff, which is a serious compliment, but I still can’t get my head round it. Maybe you shouldn’t dwell on that kind of thing. I find it extraordinarily wonderful that people want to buy my drawings. Biggest surprise of my life.”
Connolly was told he had Parkinson’s and prostate cancer on the same day in 2013, but received an all-clear for cancer after receiving treatment. Five years after his diagnosis, Connolly retired from his stand-up career due to the increasing difficulties of the illness.
