Stem cells are the holy grail of youth claims Cleese, 79
WITH more than 50 years in comedy and three marriages behind him, he could be forgiven for wanting to take things easy.
But having a glamorous fourth wife more than three decades his junior to keep up with seems to have given John Cleese a new lease of life.
And the 79-year-old is determined to keep it that way – having turned to expensive stem cell therapy to keep him looking and feeling as young as possible.
‘I do stem cell therapy... I’m serious. I think stem cell therapy is the most extraordinary thing and, of course, I’m sorry to say it’s not cheap,’ he said.
In an attempt to keep old age at bay, the Monty Python star said he has been undergoing the costly injections for years – although it is not known what specific treatments he has received.
While some procedures in the UK start from £6,000, they can go up to £15,000 per treatment depending on the patient’s needs.
Cleese said: ‘I look younger than my age and it’s entirely down to stem cell therapy and not because I’m a wonderful person, which I am ... but that doesn’t affect my looks.’
Before his marriage to 47-yearold jewellery designer Jennifer Wade, Cleese was forced to go back on tour in 2010 to fund his divorce settlement from third wife Alyce Faye eichelberger, – which left her with £12million.
But just a few months ahead of his 80th birthday, it seems he now has enough cash to splash on the stem cell procedures. Cleese said he found it astonishing that ‘you don’t hear much about it’. He told Steve Wright’s Radio 2 show: ‘Stem cells are basically cells at such an early stage of development that they haven’t decided what sort of cells they’re going to become.’
‘So, if they are introduced into your body, the body doesn’t recognise them as foreign objects so it doesn’t reject them, and they go around your body saying, “Do you need our services today?”
‘The knee says “I need you over here”, and they go over and turn into knee cells and help to repair the damage.’
There are two basic forms of stem cells – the adult stem cell, and the controversial embryonic stem cell, which is taken from human embryos. They can be used in knees, hips and ankles, to cure sporting injuries and in bone marrow transplants to fight certain blood-based cancers.
A number of professional athletes, including Cristiano Ronaldo, have used them to help recover from injuries. Last month, Star Trek actor William Shatner, 88, revealed that he had received restorative stem cell treatment from company ProGenaCell.
Miss Wade and Cleese tied the knot in 2012 in a ceremony on the island of Mustique.