Michael Palin reveals he still talks to late wife in touching interview
Sir Michael Palin has revealed he still talks to his late wife every day.
The Monty Python star's wife Helen died of kidney failure in May 2023 after a long illness. The 80-year-old travel writer, TV presenter comedian and actor has kept busy since losing his wife of 57 years, most recently travelling to Nigeria for a new Channel 5 series.
But he revealed to The Guardian he still finds himself surprised by his bereavement when he comes home to an empty house. Palin said: "I’m quite surprised. I’ve been working quite hard since she died, and that’s been a distraction.
"But every now and then, the house seems empty and you feel you’ll never have a friend as close as that; you’ll never have someone who knows as much about you as Helen did about me... And I miss that."
The A Fish Called Wanda star admitted he does talk to his late wife. He said: "I just do it coming into an empty room after you’ve had a long session or something that really kind of wears you out! You get in and you’re going through the door, and I always speak and say: ‘Whoa, wow, that was something.’
"It’s just as a little moment, which helps me when I get into the house, rather than just going in and it’s all key in the lock and silence.” Palin said he isn't looking to find love again as he can't see anyone taking her place.
The Monty Python star had open-heart surgery in 2019 and admitted he has had to change his diet and get fitter. And he lost his close friend Terry Jones in January 2020 after the comedian suffered dementia for several years. But he still has a positive outlook on life.
When Helen died in May, Palin released a statement on his website that said: “My dearest wife Helen died peacefully in the early hours of Tuesday morning. She had been suffering with chronic pain for several years, which was compounded a few years ago by a diagnosis of kidney failure.
"We first met on a summer holiday on the Suffolk coast when we were both 16 and we married in our early twenties. Two-and-a-half weeks ago we celebrated our 57th wedding anniversary.
"Her death is an indescribable loss for myself, our three children and four grandchildren. Helen was the bedrock of my life. Her quietly wise judgment informed all my decisions and her humour and practical good sense was at the heart of our life together.”
Michael Palin in Nigeria begins on 16 April at 9pm on Channel 5 and is streaming on My5
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Watch: Michael Palin unveils 'sincere' reaction from Monty Python co-stars after wife Helen's death
