Stephen Fry has been uncharacteristically quiet on social media in recent months, and now the reason for his absence has been revealed.
Back in September, footage emerged of Fry suffering what looked like a fairly bad fall as he exited the stage at an event at London's O2.
Fry was giving the keynote speech at CogX, an AI and tech conference, and was making his way offstage when he lost his balance and fell six feet, and reportedly left the venue in a wheelchair.
Now, he has revealed the full extent of his injuries as he spoke to Claudia Winkelman on her BBC Radio 2 programme over the weekend, saying he was "now without a walking stick", months after the accident.
"I did my bow after delivering this lecture, turned to go off stage and didn’t realise that I was walking off a part of the stage where there was nothing," he said. "Six foot drop onto concrete. So I broke my right leg in a couple of places and my hip and my pelvis in four places and a bunch of ribs.
"I am now fine. I’m now without a stick. Like Lazarus, I have cast aside my crutches and stick."
He added that he had become reliant on using a walking stick, saying "More than helping you walk and being some support, (it) is a flag to everyone around.
"And I live in central London where, as you know, the pavements are absolutely packed, so people suddenly stop to take a picture of the Christmas lights and you get very nervous about bumping into people when it’s slidey and slippy, with a wet leaf on the pavement… Actually, it’s been fine so far, but I kind of feel a bit self-conscious without the stick."
Fry was prescribed some heavy-duty painkillers after undergoing surgery, and said that he was reluctant to take them, having dealt with addiction issues in the past - but changed his mind after his surgeon told him if he did not: "For six or seven weeks you’ll lie without being able to move and what will happen to your muscles… they’ll be atrophied, and your recovery will be months and months and months.'"
