In a lengthy interview with Radio Times, comedian Billy Connolly confirmed rumours that he is to retire from live performances.
Connolly, who is now 76, also revealed that he'd been trying medicinal marijuana to treat his illness, but added that he simply ended up "just stoned."
"I just got bomb happy. Just stoned. It was quite pleasant, but I don’t want to do that every day," Connolly said. The comedian, who's been touring consistently since the '70s, also rebutted Michael Parkinson's claims that the disease was dulling his brain.
"He thought I’d lost track, mentally, but I never remember what year anything was,” Connolly told the Radio Times. “I haven’t a clue. I’ve always been about going forward, not the past... These Yorkshiremen, I don’t think they apologise much. I wasn’t disappointed, it just made my life a bit difficult. People feeling sorry for me, I don’t like that."
"They read about me in the papers and think, ‘Oh, he’s not well.’ They’re right, but I’m not as bad as they think I am. He should get on with selling funerals and leave me alone," joked Connolly.
While Connolly has said reports of his ill health were definitely exaggerated, he does admit that his time touring on the road has come to an end.
Here's a clip from his Dublin show back in 2008.
