Billy Connolly says Parkinson’s disease ‘will end me’ and confirms he will never do another show

Comedian reflects on career in ITV special

Billy Connolly has opened up about having Parkinson’s disease in a new ITV documentary.

The new one-off special, titled Billy Connolly: It’s Been A Pleasure, looks back on the star’s career in comedy, after he announced he was stepping back from live stand-up performance two years ago.

When Connolly was first diagnosed in 2013, he joked: “I’ve got Parkinson’s disease. I wish he’d f***ing kept it.”

Connolly, who performed his last stand-up comedy gig in 2017 and was forced to stop touring by ill health, said in the documentary: “It’s got me and it will get me and it will end me but that’s OK with me.”

He added: “I started low and I ended high. Just staying up there, until it is time to stop, seems a natural and good thing to do. It is a good thing to be proud of, I wanted to be a funnyman and I got it.”

Addressing his fans, he said: “It’s been a pleasure talking to you all those years. From the beginning when I was a folkie, right through, I couldn’t have done anything without you. You have been magnificent.”

Connolly’s career on the road was cut short when Parkinson’s meant he could no longer remember his stories properly. Confirming he will never do another show, he said: “I’ve done my stand-up. I did it for 50 years. I did it quite well. And it is time to stop.

“My illness, my Parkinson’s disease, has rendered me different. It would either mean renewing what I do and doing something else, or give up what I did and that’s what I’ve done.”

Connolly is currently living In Florida with his wife, the writer Pamela Stephenson, and writing his autobiography.

The programme features tributes from stars such as Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Elton John, and Dustin Hoffman, who cried as he said: “Billy is the one and he is the only. I want him to be around for a long, long time.”

Billy Connolly: It’s Been a Pleasure airs on ITV on Monday 28 December at 9.30pm.