‘If my hand shakes I treat it like a heckler and glare at it until it stops’
BILLY Connolly says he has learnt to hypnotise his hand if it shakes and treats his Parkinson’s as if it were a heckler at one of his stand-up shows.
Connolly was diagnosed with the condition in 2013 and retired from live performances five years later.
He said: “I’ve learnt to hypnotise my hand. I glare at it and it kinda quivers. I just stare at it, and eventually it stops. It’s quite a good trick.”
Playing the banjo has already become impossible for the 79-year-old star and now his twitching body has stopped another favourite pastime.
Incredible
He told Radio Times: “I loved writing letters, but now my writing is illegible. My collection of fountain pens and ink is redundant. It’s a pain in the bum.”
On Parkinson’s he added: “You confront it by saying, ‘Bugger off, I’m going to get on with my life.’ ” Connolly will be on ITV this Christmas with Billy Connolly: My Absolute Pleasure which is described as “a natural follow-up to It’s Been A Pleasure”, a show last December which marked Billy’s decision to step back from stand-up after 50 years.
He shares a selection of his most loved routines, captured during his legendary live tours, some of which have never before been seen on TV.
Billy fills his days in Florida by fishing most mornings and continuing to draw and make art. He describes it as “flouncing around” but has no regrets.
“All in all, I’ve had an incredible life. It’s been very easy to enjoy,” he said.
In last December’s ITV show, Connolly’s wife Pamela Stephenson spoke about his “new lease of life” living in Florida away from the spotlight.
At the time Pamela said: “What he wants to do is take it easy, he wants to fish on his dock in Florida, and enjoy the sunshine, watch television and drink tea and eat biscuits.”
His new autobiography, Windswept & Interesting, tells of touring the world after his big break on Michael Parkinson’s chat show in 1975.